Above: the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Lawmakers in the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly voted 11-3 to pass a motion of no-confidence against the ruling United Democratic Party government of embattled Premier McKeeva Bush.
Bush abstained from the vote.
It’s not yet clear what the impact of the motion will be — whether the Assembly will be dissolved or if new elections will be called.
The vote comes about a week after Bush was arrested on suspicion of several counts related to corruption, including abuse of office.
Bush has been released on bail until 2013, as investigations continue.
In a statement, Cayman Finance, which promotes the territory’s financial services industry, emphasized the industry’s independence from Cayman’s legislature amid growing international attention over Bush’s arrest.
“The financial services industry operates independently of the political arm of the Legislature and any potential criminal charges against an individual do not impact the ongoing effective functioning of the government or the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority,” Cayman Finance Chairman Richard Coles said.