Ex-Cayman Islands governor Anwar Choudhury allegedly bullied staff, had drunken rows

Anwar Choudhury, the Bangladeshi-born governor of the Cayman Islands recalled to London by the UK Foreign Office, has been accused of bullying employees, engaging in drunken arguments and demanding a maid give him a shirtless massage, The Daily Mail reports.

Choudhury was suspended from the post two weeks ago, only months after he took up the position in March.

Choudhury faces a string of complaints related to his treatment of domestic staff, office employees and even his wife, according to the Mail.

Employees say he shouted at and bullied them.

He allegedly requested a maid to massage his shirtless back, a request she said she found inappropriate.

Sources told the UK-based publication that he also misbehaved with his wife and had engaged in a drunken argument with his mother-in-law.

MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands said they were aware of the allegations against Choudhury.

“Anwar Choudhury has been temporarily withdrawn from his post to allow the FCO to investigate a number of complaints against him,” the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said on Saturday.

“It is inappropriate to comment further while an investigation is ongoing.”

Born in Bangladesh, Choudhury was recruited from the private sector, to become the first Bangladeshi-born British high commissioner to Bangladesh in 2004. He served for four years, returning to the FCO in 2008 as a senior policy director.

While serving in Bangladesh he was wounded in the leg in a terrorist attack. Three men were hanged in 2017 for their part in masterminding the grenade attack.

Choudhury had made a splash in his first three months as the Cayman Islands’ governor with high profile interviews promising to burn the unnecessary bureaucracy that he said gripped the civil service.

He was also the Cayman Islands’ first Muslim governor.