London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Inquiry Response Unit established to cooperate with Commission of Inquiry

Inquiry Response Unit established to cooperate with Commission of Inquiry

Putting into action its word that it would cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry into governance, the Government of the Virgin Islands has set up an Inquiry Response Unit (IRU) to facilitate information sharing in a systematic and efficient way.

The IRU, which was established by the Cabinet of the Virgin Islands on February 5, 2021, and is led by the Right Honourable Sir Charles Geoffrey Cox QC and administered by Withers BVI, will report to the Attorney General, Honourable Dawn J. Smith.

The Commission of Inquiry was announced on January 18, 2021, by controversial former Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert to look into whether corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty may have taken place amongst public, elected and statutory officials in recent years in the [British] Virgin Islands.

Secretary to the Commission Mr Steven Chandler, in a press statement on February 15, 2021, said the Commissioner, Gary R. Hickinbottom (in photo), has been informed and welcomes that it is a policy of the Government of the Virgin Islands that all ministries, departments, statutory bodies and Government-owned entities provide appropriate and timely cooperation with the Inquiry.


Role of IRU


According to a press release from Government Information Service (GIS) today, February 22, 2021, the IRU was established to ensure full cooperation with the Inquiry and facilitation of the Inquiry process, while upholding the legal duties and legitimate interests of the Government.

“The IRU functions as an independent unit to support the Attorney General's Chambers in ensuring that information is provided to the Inquiry in a systematic, efficient and well-organised way, which is both auditable and accountable.

The IRU will also assist Ministers and public officers to understand their duties in relation to the Inquiry,” the press release informed.

The Commission of Inquiry was announced on January 18, 2021, by controversial former Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert to look into whether corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty may have taken place amongst public, elected and statutory officials in recent years in the [British] Virgin Islands.


Mission Statement


The IRU's Mission Statement is as follows:

"To function as an independent unit acting in the public interest to support the work of the Attorney General and the Virgin Islands Government to achieve the fullest possible cooperation with the Commission of Inquiry, advising on and coordinating the disclosure of documents and information to the Commission, while ensuring the legal duties and legitimate interests of the Virgin Islands Government are upheld."

The Inquiry Response Unit will report to the Attorney General, Honourable Dawn J. Smith.


Commission welcomes cooperation of VI Gov’t


Meanwhile, Secretary to the Commission Mr Steven Chandler, in a press statement on February 15, 2021, said the Commissioner, Gary R. Hickinbottom, has been informed and welcomes that it is a policy of the Government of the Virgin Islands that all ministries, departments, statutory bodies and Government-owned entities provide appropriate and timely cooperation with the Inquiry.

Mr Chandler further said the Commissioner wanted to reassure the population of the VI, and its public officers in particular, that whatever mechanisms government adopts to assist the Commission there is nothing to prevent those in public office who have concerns from coming forward directly to the Commission.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×