Sister Islands MLA Could Face Disqualification If Convicted

MLA Lyndon Martin

Monday, July 26, 2004

Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Representative, MLA Lyndon Martin, would be disqualified from office if found guilty of offences he is currently charged with and sent to prison for more than 12 months.

Mr Martin faces two charges of employing a person at Martin’s Pizzeria and Grill in Cayman Brac between 20 March and 29 March without authorisation to employ that person by a work permit granted under the Immigration Law.

If found guilty of the charges, Mr Martin could be sentenced to a $5,000 fine and one year imprisonment for the first offence, and a $10,000 fine and two years imprisonment for the second offence, according to section 00 of the Immigration Law of 2003.

Mr Martin is also facing a charge related to withholding a passport of a Jamaican national, thereby forcing her to remain in the Cayman Islands illegally. 

Should Mr Martin be found guilty of the offences and receive a sentence of less than twelve months imprisonment, he would be able to continue his political career under current Caymanian constitutional law. The precise phraseology of the written Constitution details that he would have to be: “serving a sentence of imprisonment exceeding 12 months, or some other sentence imposed on him, or her by such a court, including a suspended sentence,” to be formally disqualified.

Mr Martin is scheduled to appear in Summary Court on Thursday, 5 August.

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