Immigration appeals tribunal accused of stalling in same-sex spouse case

Former Truman Bodden law lecturer Leonardo Raznovich is calling for members of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal to resign if they can’t reach a decision in his case.

Mr. Raznovich is petitioning immigration to be added to his same-sex spouse’s work permit as a dependent. Last year, his contract at the TBLS was not renewed, just months after the controversial student society sponsored lecture series that tackled LGBT and gender equality issues. Mr. Raznovich and Her Excellency Helen Kilpatrick were among the presenters for the lecture series.

Mr. Raznovich told Cayman 27 he believes the Immigration Appeals Tribunal is intentionally stalling on the appeal, and said he understands the Attorney General has advised government there are no legal grounds to reject his appeal.

He told Cayman 27 the appeals tribunal and government are in breach of human rights by dragging their feet on the decision.

“The Immigration Appeal Tribunal appears to be stalling on our appeal and failing to apply principles of natural justice, choosing instead to overlook the procedural failures of the original decision and errors of law. The Immigration Appeals Tribunal, together with the government, are permitting to persist discrimination and breaches of human rights. The result is a clear denial of natural justice, which in itself constitutes further breaches of the rule of law by the Cayman Government. I urge the members of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal to do the honourable thing and resign if they feel unable to reach a decision. If they are fit for duty, they should do their work rather than hide their head in the sand and correctly apply the laws as they are currently in force today,” said Mr. Raznovich in a four-page statement to the press. “The Cayman Islands reputation as a financial centre has been bolstered by the jurisdiction’s respect for the rule of law. A refusal to acknowledge and correctly apply the local law and international legal obligations puts the reputation and the credibility and long-term stability of the jurisdiction at stake. The behaviour of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal is causing big harm to the jurisdiction.”