Premier and Minister for Financial Services and Commerce, the Honourable André Ebanks, says he supports making more information public about the review of his involvement in Government’s purchase of Kiddiewinks Preschool.
Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, Premier Ebanks said a sanitised or summarised version of the Attorney General’s advice could help the public understand how the matter was assessed.
The Attorney General, the Honourable Samuel Bulgin, concluded that the Premier did not breach the Ministerial Code of Conduct or the Standards in Public Life Act in connection with the purchase.
Premier Ebanks referred the matter for review after questions were raised about his participation in Cabinet’s deliberations. One of the vendors, Jennifer Stein, nominated him as an election candidate in March 2025.
The Premier said the Attorney General confirmed his interpretation that the nomination did not establish a sufficiently close connection to create an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
He described his relationship with Ms. Stein as that of an elected representative and constituent.
Premier Ebanks said the Attorney General’s review constitutes legal advice to the Governor and may therefore be privileged. He said any decision about releasing the advice would be a matter for Her Excellency the Governor, Jane Owen.
However, the Premier said some form of disclosure would be useful for public education and accountability.
“I think whether it’s a sanitised version, a summarised version, it is good public information to see how these matters were addressed, were determined, and it helps to educate the framework that we have,” Premier Ebanks said.
He also supported releasing an appropriate version of the relevant Cabinet material, although he acknowledged that Cabinet papers are confidential under Cayman’s constitutional framework.
Premier Ebanks said he had told the Governor that the Cabinet paper would provide useful information about the matters considered and why Government determined the purchase represented value for money.
The Premier said officials had three valuations to consider. He cited figures of approximately $6.8 million and $4.8 million for two of those valuations but did not state the third figure during the briefing.
He said the Education and Lands ministries also considered the need to relieve capacity pressures at Government schools and address space limitations at the Lighthouse School.
According to Premier Ebanks, acquiring an existing purpose-built school provided a turnkey solution without the construction risks and possible delays associated with developing a new facility.
He said the purchase also had to be considered against the cost of supporting students with additional needs, which he placed at approximately $65,000 to $70,000 per pupil.
Asked when he first became aware that Kiddiewinks was being considered for acquisition, Premier Ebanks said he could not recall a particular date or month.
He said the vendor had contacted the relevant ministry and later sought assistance after not receiving a response. The Premier said he followed up with the ministry and asked officials to determine whether they were interested in visiting the property.
Premier Ebanks maintained that the evaluation, valuation and decision-making processes were then handled by the responsible ministries.
The Premier also addressed reports of possible challenges to his leadership. He said the matter was not raised during a special caucus meeting on Friday or during the regularly scheduled caucus meeting on Tuesday.
He described the National Coalition For Caymanians Government as a unified team and said he had not personally seen evidence of members engaging in discussions to bring down the administration.
Premier Ebanks said the Kiddiewinks matter had provided an opportunity to test Cayman’s good-governance safeguards and consider whether existing valuation procedures are suitable for unusual properties such as purpose-built schools.
He also announced that work is progressing on a parliamentary code of conduct.
Premier Ebanks said Members of Parliament have reviewed a draft and may require another one or two meetings before it is finalised. The proposed code would then undergo legal drafting and further consultation, with the Premier indicating it could be delivered in 2027.