London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 17, 2025

BVI Premier Fahie Confident of Commission of Inquiry Vindication

BVI Premier Fahie Confident of Commission of Inquiry Vindication

Premier of the British Virgin Islands Hon. Andrew Fahie is confident that he would be vindicated when the ruling of the Commission of Inquiry is handed down in January.
Premier Fahie, who has been accused by former Governor, Augustus Jaspert of widespread corruption, has vehemently denied the allegation. As a result of Jaspert’s revelation, a sanctioned United Kingdom commission of inquiry was established earlier this year.

The accusations ranged from mismanagement of the British Overseas Territory’s affairs, organized crime, and drug-trafficking.

However, from the onset, Premier Fahie, who is also the finance minister of the BVI, has, in no uncertain terms, rubbished the charges as unfounded and irresponsible.

He asserted that the former British Government representative was careless to have leveled such character-damaging claims, even while failing to use his powers get to the root of the very thing he accused his administration of doing.

Fahie believes that it was a sinister move for Jaspert to scurry to the media to spread what he termed as propaganda, before making an effort to dig into the allegations to prove whether or not they were genuine.

Fahie, as a matter of fact, believes it was the former governor who blatantly displayed scant regard towards fiduciary duties by opening a resource-burdensome commission of inquiry without first considering the debilitating impact it would have on the civil service.

"It poses a heavy challenge on the public officers," Fahie told Politico, further outlining to the publication that the probe's scope has widened to cover virtually every government decision of the past decade. He also accused the British Government of gross overreach.

He said the commission of inquiry all but consumed the entire public service, while yet to prove the existence of government corruption.

The premier elicited that it came as no surprise to him that to date, no specific proof or indication of BVI’s officials’ involvement in such activities has emerged in the public evidence sessions.

Some members of the BVI community, based on the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry, have openly expressed concern that the inquiry commission might recommend a colonial-style power takeover. This they say might mean imposing direct rule from London and husking the territory of its autonomy, which include the right to elect its own government.

The fear is reminiscent of fellow UK overseas territory – the Turks and Caicos Islands - being yanked of its internal powers when it’s constitution was pulled on recommendation of a commission of inquiry. That territory has gone back to internal self-government after a raft of changes by the British.

The UK, in 2009, instituted direct rule on the Turks and Caicos Islands, though the governor, accusing the then government of "a high probability of systematic corruption or serious dishonesty," including receiving kickbacks from investors.

Some members of the BVI community have accused Jaspert of sliding into obscurity after making what they described as such destructive allegations and was now being shielded by the British Government from setting the record straight.

Such sentiment was shared by the premier, who, in an interview with the Guardian, accused Jaspert of not assessing the potential damage his utterance would cause to the people of the territory.

“I find that statement very irresponsible. It is clear from the inquiry there is no evidence to back up what he is saying, and it would be interesting to see if he would be willing to say that outside the protection of the inquiry as a private citizen. In saying that, he did not bear in mind the reputation of the BVI, families, the economy,” Fahie said.

He added: “The key to any country is its reputation, but so far, and thank God for that, there is no evidence provided in the Commission of Inquiry showing that the BVI is corrupt. We have provided them with over 200,000 papers.”

In the meantime, the premier and his government have found an ally in Tory MP and former attorney general, Sir Geoffrey Cox, who, during the Commission of Inquiry, decided to represent the ministers. Sir Cox’s decision to represent the government was not without controversy, as he was brutally criticized by some of his UK Parliamentary colleagues for landing a second job.

But the BVI premier had defended the UK parliamentarian’s decision. According to the Guardian, Fahie praised Cox and his legal team for doing what he described as a great job, asserting that he and his fellow BVI ministers would be rendered blameless.

“Lie has speed, but truth has endurance,” the online newspaper quoted the premier as saying.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
×