Above: Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush has been arrested and is in police custody, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service announced in a statement Tuesday.

The arrest came “in connection with a number of ongoing police investigations,” the force said.

Bush was arrested at around 7:00 AM Tuesday by officers from the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit, the force said.

Bush is suspected of theft, in connection with “financial irregularities relating to the alleged misuse of a government credit card,” along with breach of trust, abuse of office and conflict of interest.

The latter accusations were connected to the “alleged importation of explosive substances without valid permits on or before February 2012.”

The explosive substances had reportedly been imported for use in a quarry investigation.

The force said it would be “inappropriate” to make any further comment.

There have been reports of investigations into Bush at different times over the past year and a half.