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Watson & Rodriguez to face trial together

- for alleged conflict of interest on hospital board in Cayman Islands
Canover Watson. Photo: CNS
Miriam Rodriguez. Photo: CNS
Miriam Rodriguez. Photo: CNS
CNS - Local businessman and former chair of the hospital board, Canover Watson, will be tried in May alongside his former personal assistant, Miriam Rodriguez. Both are charged with a number of corruption and money laundering offences in relation to a hospital contract for a payment system.

Watson, who faces a long list of offences, was charged in November but Rodriguez, who faces one count of fraud on government and two of money laundering, was not charged until last month.The crown applied to join the cases as the prosecutor said the charges relate to the same alleged offence and neither of the defendants objected. As a result, Justice Charles Quin ordered the joinder and bailed both Watson and Rodriguez to return for the trial on 25 May.

Watson faces ten counts, including six for money laundering in relation to around US$169,000 over an 18 month period between December 2010 and June 2012, when he was chair of the Health Services Authority (HSA) board. He is also charged with conflict of interest, failing to disclose a pecuniary interest, breach of trust and fraud.

Watson and Rodriguez have denied the charges.

The crown alleges that Watson had a business interest in Advanced Integrated Systems (Cayman) Ltd, the firm which was awarded the HSA contract to implement a card paying system at the hospital for insurance cover. The prosecution claims that Watson received a US$50,000 payment when AIS got the contract.

Following his arrest in September, Watson, who was also member of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, was suspended from the footballing body’s financial watchdog temporarily pending the outcome of the case.

2 Responses to “Watson & Rodriguez to face trial together”

  • dd (26/03/2015, 10:29) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
    what about the BVI
  • Plank (28/03/2015, 20:04) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    True-- What about the BVI?. The difference is that Cayman Island has a real governor who looks out for the people and the tax payers money-There are no need for these boards "hospital--TRC etc" They are vehicles for bias and corruption---Replace these boards with a czar or an administrator attached to the ministry.--- Power out, your cable gone, your generator is useless you cant watch TV--I`ve been to Santo Domingo, St kitts, and Guyana when electricity goes out they put their generator on I watch my TV---The injustice with nurses who working here for ,20, 25, 30 years retire and can`t get a government pension.---What are these boards doing?


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