Authorities charged a politician and former Cayman Islands premier with rape and indecent assault on Wednesday.
McKeeva Bush pleaded not guilty to accusations dating back to 2000, according to police. Other than a brief news release stating that the “senior politician” appeared in court via Zoom, police made no further remark.
In a statement, Bush told The Associated Press that he rejected, denied, and pleaded not guilty to what he called “this evil plot” and “malicious accusation.”
“All I have to say in relation to this, the latest in a series of malicious charges leveled against me, is that the truth will be revealed,” he wrote. “This is done by someone with whom I have never had any contact.”
The former premier’s arrest was his most recent run-in with the law.
Bush was probed and found not guilty on several crimes, including theft and abuse of office, about a decade ago. He also pled not guilty in 2017 to molesting a female employee at a Florida casino, and the charges were ultimately dismissed.
After being charged with indecently assaulting two women at a regional tourism event in the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory in the western Caribbean Sea, Bush pled not guilty. In that instance, he is awaiting trial.
Bush resigned as Prime Minister in December 2012, following a no-confidence vote. He resigned as Speaker of Parliament in October 2022, citing sexual harassment allegations, which he disputed.
