After the House of Assembly passed the last of five bills to reform statutory bodies last Thursday, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley boasted this week that his government has completed …
October 3, 2024
April 11, 2024
HOA votes to change Register of Interests
House of Assembly members voted this week to make changes to their Register of Interests, but the extent of those changes is not clear because a bill they passed Tuesday …
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March 25, 2024
Bill keeps restrictions on interests register
When lawmakers voted in July 2022 to make the Register of Interests public as advised by the Commission of Inquiry, they also added several viewing restrictions that drew strong criticism …
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February 29, 2024
Money laundering report brings threat of ‘grey list’
A major international report released Monday raises serious concerns about the territory’s ability to deal with money laundering and other financial crime, leading one expert to warn that “red lights” …
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February 2, 2024
Ex-minister says United Kingdom fell ‘short’ on overseas territories
LONDON — Britain has “fallen short” in the way it deals with the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories, former United Kingdom OT Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith has warned. In …
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January 11, 2024
Premier fumes as governor seeks new powers
Governor John Rankin drew the ire of elected leaders last week when he announced plans to seek additional powers to push through delayed Commission of Inquiry reforms. Premier Dr. Natalio …
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November 10, 2023
UK team arrives to probe law enforcement
A United Kingdom agency that inspects the UK’s police and fire services has sent a team to the Virgin Islands for the fieldwork phase of an ongoing review of the …
October 5, 2023
Guv upbeat on COI reforms, but says more work needed
Important progress has been made on governance reforms recommended last year by the Commission of Inquiry, but much more work is needed to ensure that they will “take root” by …
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September 30, 2022
New HOA committee to push COI reforms
Legislators created a special select Reform Committee on Sept. 27 to help ensure that the House of Assembly meets its law-making obligations under the National Unity Government’s framework for implementing …
July 15, 2022
Premier updates Caricom on reforms
Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley updated leaders from around the region on his government’s progress with the Commission of Inquiry recommendations last week at the 43rd Meeting of the Conference …
June 8, 2022
No direct rule for now as UK accepts unity government’s proposal
The wait is over. Governor John Rankin and Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley announced on Wednesday morning that the United Kingdom will not suspend parts of the Virgin Islands Constitution …
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June 3, 2022
Government in talks with Britain on proposal
On May 11, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley announced that his National Unity Government was waiting for the United Kingdom to respond to a proposal for carrying out governance reforms …
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May 27, 2022
COI blasts gov’t handling of statutory boards
Statutory boards in the territory are supposed to function independently, but many fall far short of that ideal because of political interference and inadequate appointment practices, a cording to the …
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April 29, 2022
COI officially recommends 2-year UK takeover [FULL REPORT INCLUDED]
The day after Premier Andrew Fahie’s arrest in Miami, Governor John Rankin said Friday morning that he had decided to expedite the release of the Commission of Inquiry report, which …
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April 8, 2022
Governor gets COI report, but public doesn’t yet
Following the broadcast of dozens of testimonies and the collection of thousands of pages of evidence, the United Kingdom-led Commission of Inquiry into possible corruption in the Virgin Islands concluded …
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