I have written time and time again about corruption by government officials in independent states, and in so doing I have stated that there is little or no dishonesty in British overseas dependent states. I have pointed out, however, that two former premiers — Michael Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands and McKeeva Bush of the Cayman Islands — faced prosecution for alleged dishonesty.
Well, last Thursday Mr. Bush was freed on all 11 counts after a jury deliberated for nearly 24 hours and found him not guilty. Mr. Bush, a popular politician who is now opposition leader, was accused of using a government credit card to gamble in casinos.
The jury of four men and three women rejected this allegation after a four-week trial, which no doubt cost the government a large amount of money. The acquittal reminds me of a former chief minister of the overseas territory of Montserrat, who was acquitted by a jury two decades ago.
Incidentally, former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday was acquitted a week ago after accusations that he failed to declare assets.
I wish to state that Mr. Panday is the only government minister in an independent state to be prosecuted in the Caribbean, although there is strong evidence that a large number of ministers and government officials in the region — especially in Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and other countries — are involved in dishonest activities.
Jubilation
There was jubilation in the Cayman Islands after the acquittal of Mr. Bush, and the former premier is demanding a public inquiry. He said that the allegations were completely false and tantamount to a political witch-hunt. Mr. Bush seems to have the support of Premier Alden McLaughlin in his call for an inquiry.
Meanwhile, no date is fixed for the trial of Mr. Misick, who is accused of lavish spending in purchasing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewellery and a Rolls-Royce car for his movie star ex-wife, not to mention chartering an aircraft from Los Angeles to the TCI at a cost of $100,000.
Fortunately, however, the Virgin Islands is not known for corruption by politicians from either the governing National Democratic Party or the opposition VI Party.
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