Heated House of Assembly exchanges this week saw Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley accuse some opposition members of wanting to the flush the financial services industry “down the drain.”
The flashpoint came when two opposition members called for Tuesday’s session to be adjourned because they had received notice of the meeting two working days short of the ten required by the HOA Standing Orders.
Despite the delay, Mr. Wheatley insisted the meeting should proceed so the HOA could pass laws required before a Feb. 21 deadline imposed by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force following the release of its Virgin Islands report 12 months ago.
The premier said the matter was urgent because he will be out of the territory Feb. 14 through Feb. 23 for a trade mission to east Asia.
Opposition criticisms
The call for an adjournment was led by opposition member Mitch Turnbull (R-D2).
“We received notice for this sitting on January 31, which would be either seven days or eight days,” he said. “And it is indeed a clear violation of Standing Orders.”
Mr. Turnbull was backed by his opposition colleague Myron Walwyn (R-D6), who agreed that the failure to give enough notice amounted to a violation.
Mr. Wheatley expressed outrage at the move by the two members of the new “Alliance” group in the opposition block.
“It’s unconscionable,” the premier said. “If we are to abide by the face of the CFATF report into the territory.
“The lifeblood of our financial services industry depends on the members of the House being united, and yet we have another example of dividing the House on a national issue,” he said.
Mr. Wheatley claimed if the House were adjourned it would also mean that legislation passed in previous sittings held without the requisite ten-day notice could be deemed “null and void.”
Speaker weighs in
HOA Speaker Corine George-Massicote, however, said the premier was wrong on that matter.
She then called a recess to deliberate on the issue before returning to the chamber to declare that she would adjourn the sitting unless the government and opposition could agree on a way forward.
After lengthy negotiations in a private recess, Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton said a compromise had been agreed whereby the bills in question would get their first readings on Tuesday and then the HOA would return on Thursday to debate them.
Referring to his previous objections, Mr. Turnbull denied that he was trying to block progress in the territory.
“Let the public be assured that we are not hindering: We are progressing forward,” he said.
To add to the parliamentary drama, Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sharie de Castro accused Mr. Turnbull of being “disrespectful” and telling her to “sit down and shut up” during the negotiations.
Ms. de Castro said she would write the speaker with a formal complaint over the matter.
When the speaker gave Mr. Turnbull a chance to respond, he said he would wait until the letter was received before responding to the complaint.
Bills passed
Ultimately, the premier, who is also the minister of financial services, tabled various statutory instruments regarding financial services and introduced three bills that received their first readings: the Assets Seizure and Forfeiture (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Proceeds of Criminal Conduct (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Drug Trafficking Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2025.