Cayman Islands football VP pleads innocent
Key Points(5)
- First vice president of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) Bruce Blake is denying any involvement in any wrongdoing after being arrested on suspicion of money laundering and receiving secret commissions.
- Blake was called up before law enforcement authorities last week in relation to two CIFA transactions involving the authorization of $US600, 000.
- He has since been released without being charged, According to documents, Blake signed for a loan, which was received in CIFA’s Butterfield Bank account before being transferred to its loan account at Fidelity Bank.
- However, speaking through his lawyers, Blake said he was led to believe the figures represented loans to CIFA to pay down on an existing loan.
- “Those two amounts were represented to Mr.
First vice president of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) Bruce Blake is denying any involvement in any wrongdoing after being arrested on suspicion of money laundering and receiving secret commissions.
Blake was called up before law enforcement authorities last week in relation to two CIFA transactions involving the authorization of $US600, 000.
He has since been released without being charged,
According to documents, Blake signed for a loan, which was received in CIFA’s Butterfield Bank account before being transferred to its loan account at Fidelity Bank.
However, speaking through his lawyers, Blake said he was led to believe the figures represented loans to CIFA to pay down on an existing loan.
“Those two amounts were represented to Mr. Blake to be loans to CIFA to pay down on the CIFA loan at Fidelity Bank in order for Fidelity Bank to remove the charge on the CIFA Centre of Excellence in compliance with FIFA regulations,” the statement issued by his attorney read.
“Mr. Blake has not, at any time, engaged in any secret payment(s) or improper business or unprofessional practices or advantages for himself or any other person(s) or entity. Mr. Blake is innocent of these suspicious allegations against him and the Law protects the Presumption of his innocence. Therefore, Mr. Blake has nothing to hide and no information to withhold from the Anti-Corruption Commission investigators.”
