Deputy Governor David Archer Jr. came out swinging on Monday after he was named last week in the most recent series of anonymous videos posted online under the name “Mika Barry.”
Less than 24 hours later, a new post apologised to Mr. Archer and retracted the allegation about him made in a video uploaded to Facebook.
Mr. Archer complained in a Monday, March 18, statement that the “inaccurate” video labelled him as “Government Official 1.”
The words in question appeared to refer to an allegedly corrupt government official mentioned in the United States’ 2022 criminal complaint against former premier Andrew Fahie, who last month was found guilty of drug-conspiracy charges in Miami.
“Let me categorically and emphatically refute, denounce and factually condemn and deny this defamatory, slanderous, libelous, and vicious attack on my good name and reputation,” Mr. Archer said Monday. “Equally, the erroneous statement is also an attack on the reputation of my office in which I have served with honesty and integrity for the past five years.”
‘Mika Barry’
The name “Mika Barry” has been used for years to post videos to Facebook that air gossip and innuendo about the territory’s public officials and other residents.
Some of the videos spin tales about the local drug trade; others purport to “expose” cheating spouses and closeted homosexuals.
Many contain pornographic content purportedly leaked to Mika Barry by jilted lovers and other sources.
The mention of Mr. Archer came in one of three such videos — each about 30 minutes in length — that were posted to social media last week on March 13, 14 and 15.
No one has publicly claimed responsibility for the videos or publicly identified themselves as “Mika Barry.”
‘Serious offence’
Mr. Archer warned that such posts may run afoul of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Amendment) Act, 2019, which criminalises using a computer to defame someone — an offence that attracts a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and three years in prison.
“Defamation of one’s character is therefore a serious offence and one which I do not take lightly as it impacts my name, profession and reputation,” Mr. Archer wrote.
However, he added that he is also aware that many social media users may be ignorant of the law.
“Therefore, I am pausing briefly before pursuing actions against the noted defamatory video by Mika Barry to allow the author and producer to correct the inaccuracy, remove the video and issue me an apology utilising the same mediums (Facebook and Twitter) by which the video was shared by the close of business on Tuesday,” he said.
“Failure to do so by the prescribed time will trigger my action to pursue accountability for slander and defamation through the appropriate legal medium.”
Apology
Within hours of Mr. Archer’s statement, the three videos posted last week appeared to have been removed from Facebook, and the account that posted them was no longer accessible.
The next morning, however, the account was activated again, this time with an apology to Mr. Archer.
“It was brought to the Queen’s attention that the deputy governor of the British VI, David Archer, has threatened to sue Mika over allegations of him being mentioned as Gov Official 1,” the post stated, adding, “The Queen is not scared but the Queen is also grown enough to take accountability for her actions and apologise when needed.”
The post then apologised on behalf of the “staff and production crew of Mika Barry,” and stated that the source who provided the erroneous information would be “dealt with” and possibly “exposed” if a “penalty fine” is not paid.
The post added, “With great sadness we would like to inform the public that the Queen will permanently be departing effective March 19, … as her many years of exposing has ran [sic] its course.”
By that evening, the Facebook account was no longer accessible again.
No comment
Police Information Officer Akia Thomas did not respond to a request for comment about whether police were investigating Mr. Archer’s allegations.
The Deputy Governor’s Office did not response to a request for comment about whether Mr. Archer is taking further action.