By Paul Nicholson
November 21 – Canover Watson, a member of FIFA’s audit committee, has been charged in the Cayman Islands of five corruption and money laundering offenses. The charges were brought by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Anti-Corruption Unit. He will appear in Summary Court next Tuesday.
Watson was detained in August in connection with the award of a Cayman Islands health service swipe card contract – he was chair of the chair of the health service authority board, a voluntary position.
Watson had all his assets frozen and was put on leave by Admiral, the financial services firm were he was managing director while the case is being investigated. He was also been suspended from his football activities.
The charges against Watson are: Conflict of interest contrary to section 19(2) and 19(3) Anti-Corruption Law 2008; Breach of trust contrary to section 13 Anti-Corruption Law 2008; Fraud on government contrary to section 11 Anti-Corruption Law 2008; Failing to disclose a pecuniary interest contrary to section 10(1) Health Services Authority Law 2005; and money laundering – acquired criminal property in the amount of $50,000 contrary to section 135(1) Proceeds of Crime Law 2008.
Further detail of those charges have yet to be released. Watson has not been available for comment.
The swipe-card contract awarded by the health service board was made after a tender process that saw two firms bid. While the decision on the award was made by the board, only Watson has been charged. It seems the case will hinge on whether Watson is connected to winning company, AIS, as a beneficiary.
The Cayman Islands have been in political turmoil in recent months. A British Protectorate, the government of McKeeva Bush fell foul of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), whose governor engineered the removal of Premier Bush while in power. A subsequent court case last month cleared Bush of any wrongdoing, but the damage to his party had been done, a new government was in place and the FCO had achieved its objective of bringing the British colony back into line with its interests.
Watson was seemingly caught in the backwash of a government ‘take down’ as fraud detectives from London’s Metropolitan Police arrived en masse in Cayman to build a case against Bush. The cost of that investigation was put at £20 million with stories of police officers partying in the Caribbean sun.
While not a member of any political party, Watson chaired the health authority board while Bush’s party was in power. The recent failure to convict Bush had cast doubts over the whole investigation and its political motives. Within the shades of grey that have surrounded the investigation, the key to Watson’s case is how far his links to AIS go to constitute a breach of trust and abuse of government-appointed position.
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