Dealing with alleged corruption
I hear that many people are getting their vehicle inspection in an under-the-counter manner. They contact a certain individual in [a certain district] and take them all the paperwork and an additional CI$100 in cash and later that day the completed paperwork is returned to them. The vehicle is never even looked at. My question is twofold. How can the Cayman Islands Government let this happen and what is the penalty for the vehicle owner and/or the inspection station if caught doing this?
Auntie’s answer: As I try to answer your question, I will do my best not to climb onto that high horse of mine but, honestly, as they say (though clearly in regards to much more serious consequences), if you see something, say something.
In addition, while I am in no way dismissing your concerns or challenging your premise, you do write that you have heard about this situation but not that you actually witnessed any of this corrupt activity yourself, though I am not naïve enough to think that there is no dishonesty in government or in the private sector.
For the sake of argument, though, I will assume what you describe is actually happening. If that is the case, the Anti-Corruption Law (2014 Revision) clearly addresses the issue of malfeasance in the public sector.
Under Part III, which outlines offences under the law, section 11 (1) (a) (ii) says that a public officer commits an offence if he or she “demands, accepts or offers or agrees to accept from any other person for himself or another person, a loan, reward, advantage or other benefit as consideration for cooperation, assistance, exercise of influence or an act or omission in connection with- (A) the transaction of business with or any matter or business relating to the Government…”
The person who does the giving or offering likewise commits an offence.
Either offender is liable on conviction to 10 years imprisonment.
Now here is some advice concerning my “see something, say something” admonition.
The Anti-Corruption Commission is empowered under this law, among its responsibilities, to accept and investigate complaints. In addition, informants are protected under Part VIII.
I have to assume that your question on how the government can let this corruption occur is rhetorical. I don’t think anyone truly expects government to be aware of or be able to stamp out every corrupt act but we should aspire to that condition and help make it so.
Therefore, let me say that if you have concrete information on pay-offs taking place, I implore you to go to the Anti-Corruption Commission website where you will find the necessary contact details to make a complaint.
Category: Ask Auntie
As pertains to the actual question in this post, I’m not even interested in addressing it.
Do you know why? Because this person HEARD it. They do not have any idea if it’s true – they have no actual proof to present – so as far as I am concerned the question is moot. It accuses and judges the Licensing department with no evidence whatsoever, or none seen here. Then it is opens to the comments that pass the sentence. How can I be the only person that catches this? This person HEARD this. That’s half, actually MOST of the problem with this f***ing place, right there in your very first words. YOU HEAR. YOU HEAR? So how is hearsay even published as a legitimate question “Auntie”?? Really? which translates to “I’m a busybody who doesn’t actually have any facts to support this rumor I’m about to spread, but I have no common sense or thought as to the possible consequences of saying something so I’m going to tell the first person I see about what I HEAR is going on at this office.” YOU HEAR, which means you actually KNOW nothing, yet you have all these details about the Who, the Where and the How of this alleged operation (and I’m pretty sure that if you were benefiting from it you wouldn’t have anything to say about it). I’ve never seen such a place where every other person has heard so much bull about everyone and everything, but takes it to out onto the road and onto social media and presents it as fact, but when confronted acts innocent and is quick to point out that they said they only HEARD it. Hear this, you typical s**t stirrer, unless you know what you are talking about because you are involved or were there and saw it with your own eyes or heard it with your OWN ears and not someone else’s, then SHUT UP…I can understand how 50 years ago there was eff all to do in Cayman so to pass the time people made up every manner of shite to talk about but what’s your excuse now? There is none. Except that you’re a small-minded busy body with no life who has nothing better to do than spew hearsay out into the interwebs so that you feel like you know something that someone might be interested in. Things HEARD and spread with no basis in fact have the power to destroy and can cost people jobs, trust, respect…to name a few things. Get a life. And “Auntie”, you seem like a fairly intelligent gal; your responses are decently researched, thought out and returned. Please present actual scenarios in future.
Auntie where does this stop? Does the government have email addresses that individuals can use to report individuals? Eg cars that are illegally tinted, license plate covered? If someone takes a picture, then emails to the police. What about immigration infractions? Work permit holders working outside the constraints of their work permit and employers exploiting/abusing their staff? Marine infractions boating illegally/fishing/diving in marine parks. Providing medical/dental services without a license and outside the work permit grant. Individuals bringing people to Cayman by an agency and charging the individuals to pay for the work permit and a fee to come here without a job for both purported skilled and unskilled work. Work permit holders generally working outside of what the work permit allows such as selling goods and services and without a trade and business license.
Can people get a reward for reporting? I could make a months salary just reporting all the tinted car windows, lowered cars, illegal workers, noise from loud music at beaches and parks, illegal parking, drink driving etc.
I like this very much. We have the Crime Stoppers line for urgent and serious crimes, but we need to have an online system where photos can be submitted and these less serious crimes can be routinely reported by members of the public – anonymously if necessary, but with photographic evidence.
Trouble is, I don’t suppose anything would happen, because it goes back to the original issue that everybody knows everybody/is related and nothing gets done about it.
I have a small crack in my front window. I dont have 1200 $ to replace it. It is safe. So i pay the 100.
Another example. You need 4 new tires, but you don’t have the money yet.
Police should check fir insurance papers. That is way more important.
When your bad tire blows and causes an accident that take a life, your reasoning totally falls apart. Insurance cannot save a life or repair the results of a body maiming collision.
My BF has fixed all small cracks on my car windshield in just a couple of hours-the stuff is sold in Hardware stores. It is cheap.
This would explain the truck tyres worn down to the canvas, the unreadable and missing registration plates, as well as the blue lights and blackened windows. But what about the unlicensed motorcycles, quad bikes, dirt bikes, and heavy equipment I see every day on the roads? And those trailers without lights and with skinny tyres, being bounced around at 60mph? We mustn’t forget that a person was killed by an unlicensed trailer just a couple of years ago. The overloaded marl truck that quite recently overturned on the roundabout by Hurley’s, was also unlicensed and uninsured, so I’m told, and had been for the for the past five years. The only thing responsible drivers can do is to avoid these vehicles like the plague, so if there is an accident where there’s no insurance, you are safely somewhere else.
And I’m always asking myself, if I can see these offending vehicles many times, each and every day, what sort of eye defect do the traffic Police suffer from?
I believe it is called “selective blindness”. They just can’t be bothered.
Would that law apply if the individual doing it is working for a private garage licensed by CIG to do inspection? Would that make him a “public officer”? If not then how would that change the penalties?
That is a good point. In these cases the person providing the “service” is not a government employee so how can he be punished by the Anti-Corruption Commission? Just where does the jurisdiction fall for enforcing against this type of behavior?
Awhile back a co-worker needed an inspection of his dilapidated car just to get through his last few months in the country. Spending money on the repairs did not make financial sense so he went to one of those inspectors where every vehicle gets Certificate of Road Worthiness regardless of its state. How much did he pay him (them) under the table? I have no idea.
How many people (businesses) in the Cayman Islands certified to conduct annual vehicle safety inspections for a registration renewal and how many of them a randomly checked remains unknown.
I don’t think this practice would ever be caught by The Anti-Corruption Commission, as no one would tell and everybody knows everybody.
Trouble is, no one bothers to report corruption and law-breaking, because of the concern that the people we are reporting it to are corrupt too, or are related to the person/people being reported.
I’ve personally seen something backfire where an employee who reported a colleague for theft from the company was later forced to leave the island after her work permit renewal was refused as a result because of family ties between immigration staff and the accused employee.
And we ALL know about how you can pay to get your car inspection stamp without even taking your car in to be seen. This is an open secret that everyone knows about, is widespread and tolerated. You can see that by the cars that are on the road that would clearly not pass an inspection. Officially reporting it is more likely to result in some kind of penalty or disadvantage for the person reporting it, than for those who perpetrate it.
One gentleman hitchhiker I picked up a couple of years back even tried to blackmail me – unless I paid him $1000 he would make trouble for me at immigration dept and get me deported. He told me if a Caymanian makes a complaint about you, they won’t renew your permit.
So for me, despite all that I see here, I’m just keeping my head down, not rocking the boat. Same as everyone else.
I do not know “how you can pay to get your car inspection stamped without even taking your car to be seen”. Therefore your statement is incorrect.
If you are so sure then submit the officals name to CNS they can investigate and blow the whistle if you are too chicken.
I think you are missing the point. If you read the opening question, that refers to the same events taking place. “The vehicle is never even looked at.” Perhaps you are one of the few on the island who didn’t know this was available. But yes, you simply hand over your money to the man, and he gets the correct stamps without the vehicle being inspected – because it wouldn’t pass if it was correctly inspected. That’s the whole point of the question and the comment.
Does the person who collects the $100 work in the Immigration Dept?.
How are they going to work in the Immigration Department? Do they inspect vehicles at the Immigration Department? Oh, was that a joke? Oh, my bad. Ha ha. That was really funny. About as funny as wiping your a** with a shower curtain. Numbnut.
In this case the person doing it does not work for government but a private garage that is licensed to do inspections.
As one of the unfortunate few who didn’t know this “service” was available, why don’t you tell us exactly how YOU know it is available? You seem to know for sure that you hand over money to a man (as opposed to a woman) and he stamps the crappy car as legit and off you go, and those who don’t KNOW this are fools…so enlighten us, you who KNOW this happens. Please. Who is this mystery man? What office does the scoundrel work at? Does he share his ill-gotten loot, paying off the mechanics, the front desk people, his other co-workers? Or do you suppose he pockets the whole take and has no excuse as to why that vehicle came in for inspection and left in 5 minutes with stamped papers in hand? Or you’ve never actually partaken of what would be a completely illegal act, and are simply spreading WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD…jesus does it ever end? For God’s sake, shut your mouth for a change. Did you hear that loudly enough?
Are you claiming this does not happen?
I think someone has anger issues. That was a hell of a rant.