New DPP appointed

Governor Martyn Roper has appointed Simon Davis as Cayman’s Director of Public Prosecutions, following a recruitment exercise by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. His appointment becomes effective on 1 March 2022 and came about following the departure of the previous Director of Public Prosecutions and the temporary appointment of Candia James-Malcolm as the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Davis comes with significant prosecutorial, leadership, and management experience which will be an asset to the ODPP, a press release said.

Governor Roper stated that he was delighted to appoint Mr Davis to the role and looked forward to welcoming him to Cayman, thanking Mrs James-Malcolm for her stewardship during the transition.

“Led by Mr Davis and supported by Mrs James-Malcolm, the senior leadership team and all the staff in the ODPP, I am confident that the ODPP will be strengthened,” the Governor said. “The ODPP continues to have an essential role underpinning the rule of law in our jurisdiction, a fundamental element of our democratic system.”

Mr Davis comes to Cayman from St Philips Chambers, Birmingham, UK and his appointment is for a period of three years. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1990 and has over 30 years proven track record of prosecuting cases involving terrorism, serious organised crime, modern slavery, exploitation of children, drug and gun supply, homicide, fraud and proceeds of crime.

He has particular experience in prosecuting cases involving organised crime groups. He has prosecuted cases on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service: the Insolvency Service; Serious Fraud Office and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC). He has argued a case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. He is also on lists of counsel before the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He leads teams of lawyers, police officers, financial investigators, analysts and other professionals in UK and multi-jurisdictional investigations. Many of his cases involve IT, cybersecurity and multi-jurisdictional challenges.