GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, (Reuters) – The former premier of the Cayman Islands, McKeeva Bush, was found not guilty on charges of corruption by a local jury yesterday, a court official confirmed.
Bush was charged last year with 11 counts of official misconduct and breach of public trust in a case that led to his removal from office and stirred up anti-government sentiment in the British Caribbean territory.
Bush, 59, was accused of using his government credit card to withdraw $50,000 cash in casinos in the United States and the Bahamas. He denied the accusations, saying the cash was obtained legally under rules that existed at the time.
Calling himself the “most investigated person in the Western Hemisphere,” Bush thanked his supporters after the verdict, complaining about the way the case had been handled and the “damage done to the people of this country”.
In a statement, he said “these charges were nothing more than the result of a conspiracy to remove me from power”.
Since the beginning of the case, Bush has said he was the victim of a “political witch hunt” by the island’s former British-appointed governor, Duncan Taylor, who is currently Britain’s ambassador to Mexico.
Bush did not testify at his trial and his lawyer called no defense witnesses, saying there was no case to answer.
