[WIKILEAKS] Big Trouble in Little Paradise: the Turks and Caicos Islands takeover

[Wikileaks Press Office]

WIKILEAKS PRESS RELEASE                                                             
Sun Jul 19 20:28:57 GMT 2009

"Big Trouble in Little Paradise: the Turks and Caicos Islands takeover"

WikiLeaks has released a suppressed report laying at the center of UK
plans to seize direct control of the Turks & Caicos Islands, a popular
Caribbean tourist destination and tax haven.

A British warship on patrol in the Caribbean sea, the HMS Iron Duke, is
expected to support the takeover once the report is released.[1]


Following corruption allegations last year made against the Islands'
political elite, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
commissioned Sir Robin Auld to head up a Turks & Caicos Islands Commission
of Inquiry.

Come March this year, and the release of an interim report, the Commission 
found itself in court, with the release of the full findings injuncted.

As a conclusion to that action, yesterday, the Commission briefly released
on its website what it called its Redacted Final Report[2]. According to
the Commission's accompanying press release, the-
                                                                                
   Governor's redaction results from the direction of the Hon Chief
   Justice Gordon Ward in the current litigation between Mario
   Hoffmann and Cem Kinay against the Governor and me (and an
   assurance given by the Hon Attorney General in proceedings brought
   by Jak Civre).
   
Yet only hours later, the 266 page report was removed.

WikiLeaks has obtained the full report-and restored the redacted text.

Included in the redactions are the findings relating to ex-Premier Misick,
Hall and Hanchell.

Based on the report there does appear to be genuine grounds for the
corruption allegations. Yet it is not clear that the Turks & Caicos
Islands is an exceptional case. Many British protectorates have corrupt
leadership, which means that the FCO can pick and choose its interventions
at whim, something that corrupt but assertive leadership in British
protectorates such as Bermuda must be noting with alarm.

Whether the leaders of such former colonies choose to stop looting their
countries or choose to placate the U.K. government in other ways remains
to be seen, but it is clear which way the incentives lay.

Source document:

* Turks and Caicos Islands Commission of Inquiry into grand corruption,
  Final Report, unredacted, 18 Jul 2009:
  http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Turks_and_Caicos_Islands_Commission_of_Inquiry_into_grand_corruption%2C_Final_Report%2C_unredacted%2C_18_Jul_2009

References:

1. -^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6626641.ece
2. -^ http://www.tci-inquiry.org/

Online at: http://tinyurl.com/wlislands
Enquiries: julian at ljsf.org




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