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(CNS): Andrea Bocelli, the famous blind Italian tenor, has confirmed that he is interrupting his official world tour to do a fundraising concert in the Cayman Islands on Saturday evening. The special charity event has caused a stir on social media over the last few weeks as people called into question the validity of the concert due to some major errors in the promotional material and misleading claims about where the event was being held and for what purpose.
However, Bocelli issued an official release saying he was “thrilled” with the chance to perform in the Cayman Islands this weekend for the first time. Tickets for the event, which organisers say will be held at Pedro St James, have reportedly sold for $1,500 and $2,500.
Dr Ronald Nutt and his wife, Lynda, who are residents of Cayman and the founders of the non-profit organisation LRN Charitable Company, which is registered as a Cayman Islands NPO, have said the concert is to raise money for the research and development of a piece of medical machinery, patented by Nutt, to enable the early detection of cancer.
However, in the first marketing material circulated in Cayman to promote the event, the charitable company name was misspelt and an incorrect logo was used. The concert was said to be taking place at Pedro St James with dinner included in the ticket at the Mandarin Hotel in Beach Bay, which has not yet been built. Those who wanted to buy the costly tickets were asked to pay via wire transfer and the details of how the money being raised would actually be used were vague.
In a press release issued on 18 February, Lynda Nutt said her husband had co-invented and developed PET-CT, and LRN was founded for the purpose of “continuing the global advancements in the battle against cancer by improving early detection technologies through their new initiatives”. She said the organisation was working on the development of the Time-Resolved Positron Emission Tomography, or TPET, and currently holds two patents.
“We believe this new technology will qualify as a screening tool for most cancers occurring in the human body. When the goals of very low radiation dose requirements and lower cost of scanning are met, TPET scanning will be similar to that of breast cancer screening and can be more available to everyone. The funds raised from this performance will help support our efforts,” Nutt said about what is expected to become a profit-making venture.
CNS contacted Nutt to give her an opportunity to address concerns raised by a number of compliance officers in the private sector, especially over the request for payment via wire transfer. One compliance expert told CNS that such a request from a charitable trust should raise a red flag for the authorities.
Government officials had told CNS that they were aware of questions about the charity and the validity of the concert, given the concerns about the early promotional materials and the misleading information. However, they confirmed that LRN was a registered charity and the materials naming it as the “LNR Charitable Company” were made in error.
Nutt confirmed receipt of questions from CNS on 20 February and said she appreciated the opportunity to respond to those concerns and that she would get the answers to us. However, despite our efforts to follow up, on the eve of the concert, Nutt has still not responded to the questions.
As of 18 February, Nutt had said that 80% of the tickets for the private concert were already sold. Anyone with questions or requiring further information about the event can call Nutt on 1-345-916-6626.
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