Private eye allegations ‘incredibly damaging’
Independent MLAs (L-R) Alva Suckoo, Winston Connolly, Arden McLean and Ezzard Miller
(CNS Business): The Cayman Islands Law Society has described the speculative allegations made, without any proof, by Alva Suckoo in the Legislative Assembly on Monday night as “incredibly damaging” and urged all parties to refrain from further speculation and let the appropriate authorities handle this matter, should a formal complaint be made. In a short statement the society that represents more than 400 of the near 600 lawyers working in the Cayman Islands said the allegations that local law firms were hiring private investigators was extremely serious.
“The Cayman Islands Law Society, as the professional association that represents the entire legal profession in the Cayman Islands, notes that this type of allegation is a very serious matter on which to speculate. Such speculation, without proof, is incredibly damaging to the reputation of the profession, the financial services industry and the jurisdiction as a whole,” the society stated.
It pointed out that all the lawyers in Cayman are officers of the court and their profession requires them to act with complete integrity.
“The Cayman Islands has robust law enforcement, intolerance for unethical behaviours and a reputation for consistently upholding good governance and transparency. The Cayman Islands Law Society condemns any breaches of law and unethical behaviour. We ask all parties to refrain from further speculation and let the appropriate authorities handle this matter, should a formal complaint be made,” the statement added.
Suckoo made a short statement in the LA before the adjournment on Monday night following a day when his colleagues Winston Suckoo, Arden McLean and Ezzard Miller had all hinted that they believed they were being followed by private eyes because of their opposition to the new Legal Practitioners Bill and their call for an investigation into whether or not several of Cayman’s leading offshore law firms are currently breaking the existing legislation with regards to allowing non-qualified and unlicensed attorneys at their global offices to practice Cayman law.
No one has named any law firms or any individual attorneys but the implication is that all of the major offshore firms could be engaging in bad practice and because these MLAs are calling for an end to it, they claim that foreign private detectives have been hired to intimidate or manipulate them by digging up dirt.
Suckoo has asked for protection, and after the government failed to respond to his allegation in the LA, in which he said at least three people were engaged in following the targeted MLAs around, he was going to report the issue to the police.
Category: Finance, Financial Services
We need more politicians being followed.
Condemns breaches of law? Good to see cayman law society supporting the motion!
There are many negative emotions that these allegations by Suckoo, Winston and Co elicit – to name a few – utter disbelief, embarrassment as a 7th generation Caymanian and sad disappointment in the educated and “intelligent” ones in the group. Professional, intelligent people do not care whether you screw up in your personal life (as long as you are not breaking the law) so get over yourselves and come to terms with your absurdity. If PI’s are hired by anyone, it is probably by this wacky group as it appears that this is their means of advancing a political agenda or thwarting someone else’s. They are probably trying to cover their tracks by accusing someone else of doing it. I think they should call their political group “The Madhatter’s Tea Party”. Although, it grieves me to quote anything that caycompass says, sometimes they make complete sense…where is the evidence? Do you have photos, times, dates, descriptions of cars, drivers? If they are all being followed, someone must have some kind of photo and license plate of the cars following.
Deputy Governor, most people in Cayman believe that these allegations are absurd. What are the consequences for the Madhatter group if no evidence at all is found? Should they be allowed to make such disparaging allegations, especially in the LA, without consequence? It is my hope that the global financial industry will see this triviality for what it is and we will not suffer any additional damage on what this group has already caused with their baseless motion to penalize Law Firms for not following the current Legal Practitioners’ Law. Where did this brilliant idea come from all of a sudden? Have the Law firms only been breaking the law since this campaign season started? We should remain hopeful that the MadHatters will experience real divine intervention and see that they are cutting off their noses to spite their faces in pursuit of their own personal political agendas to gain votes.
It won’t be “incredibly damaging” at all unless the worried-sick lawyers blow it out of all proportion. Just leave it alone and it will very quickly die a natural death. At the moment you’re playing right into their hands. Wise up!!
The man is quite obviously extremely paranoid and should concentrate his efforts in doing the cayman people a service which he is paid handsomely to do. Get on with your job!
If the Police investigate and confirm that there weren’t any hired detectives, which is probably the case I imagine, then Suckoo & Co. should be required to pick up the public’s tab for wasting taxpayer funds
Also, maybe if the MLAs substantiated their claims of illegality (or lack thereof) regarding the law firms, then perhaps the people observing this situation would be more inclined to believe the absolutely absurd allegations.
The longer they hide behind parliamentary immunity, the more this whole ordeal seems entirely political on their end.