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By Caribbean News Now contributor

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Former Cayman Islands premier McKeeva Bush was re-bailed until late March, after presenting himself to police on Tuesday in accordance with the terms of his original police bail following his December 11 arrest on suspicion of theft and corruption.

Former Cayman Islands premier, McKeeva Bush

According to a statement released by the Cayman Islands police, “The investigation is still very active and police are following several positive lines of enquiry. The re-bailing of the suspects is to allow further investigations to take place in a number of foreign jurisdictions including locations in Europe, the United States and in Asia.

“Officers are working closely with law enforcement colleagues overseas and the investigation is being progressed as expeditiously as possible; however it should be noted that the enquiry team is required to follow the stringent, and often lengthy, legal processes in place within these overseas jurisdictions to obtain the necessary evidential exhibits and supporting statements.”

One week after his initial arrest, Bush was ousted from office when Cayman Islands lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in him.

Bush’s party, the United Democratic Party (UDP) accused the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service of “abuse of official power” in a statement released on Tuesday.

“The UDP is of the opinion that over the last 24 months there has been an orchestrated witch hunt against the former premier in an effort to damage his reputation and remove him as the democratically elected premier together with the government which he led. The use of extraordinary resources of the RCIP in carrying out this objective is, in the opinion of the UDP, an abuse of official power,” the statement said.

Local businessman Suresh Prasad, whose name surfaced in earlier years in connection with Bush and a number of controversial transactions, and who was also arrested along with Bush, was likewise re-bailed to appear in March.

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