Vexed Bermoothes

The Premier was on the news the other day downplaying accusations of corruption and stating something to the effect that “there is no-one who will ever be able to unearth any corruption that is linked directly to me, and if they do, they put it there.”

What a careful choice of words.  The newscaster dryly compared this to Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook” speech.  I nearly spewed my cornflakes with surprise!

Here’s my post from more than a year ago on Bermuda’s need for better anti-corruption laws.  Yep, as you guessed, nothing has changed, not even on the agenda.  Unethical but not illegal.

By contrast, the Cayman Islands has now appointed their new Anti-Corruption Commission, which includes the Commissioner of Police (chairperson), the Complaints Commissioner, the Auditor General, and two independent members appointed by the Governor.

The Commission oversees Cayman’s new Anti-Corruption Law which makes it unlawful for a person to bribe either a public officer of the Cayman government or a foreign (non-Cayman) public official in order to obtain or retain an advantage in the course of business, directly or indirectly.  Likewise, it prohibits public officers of the Cayman Islands from soliciting, accepting, or agreeing to accept or obtain an improper payment for such purposes.  It would also criminalize attempting, conspiring, inciting, aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of a corruption offence.  Furthermore, the Anti-Corruption Bill makes corruption offenses extraditable.

The law gives effect to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (“OECD Convention”) and to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).  There has been much international criticism that the British Overseas Territories have been slow to implement these conventions.

Hey Bermuda, where you at?