London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 12, 2026

Outcome of BVI’s COI is fixed with one UK judge

Outcome of BVI’s COI is fixed with one UK judge

Former Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI), Michael Misick has questioned whether the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (COI) in the BVI will be fair since only a single judge was appointed to investigate allegations of government corruption in the territory.

Speaking in an interview with 284 Media on Monday, Misick also raised concerns that the BVI’s Inquiry Commissioner, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, is a British national appointed by the UK.

Misick, who was at the centre of a similar inquiry in the TCI back in 2008, said this is evidence the UK has already fixed the outcome of the BVI’s COI, for the worse.

“Any inquiry that has one judge — one person — can’t be democratic, can’t be fair because you want to be able to have a descending voice,” argued Misick.

“So, as soon as you see the British government appointing a single judge — a single British person to carry out the Commission of Inquiry — in my view, they come with their instructions. They will pretend as if they are interested, they will pretend as if they’re listening. But in my view and my experience, the outcome is predetermined. And I have absolutely no doubt that the outcome of the Commission of Inquiry in the BVI is predetermined,” Misick further said.

Recalling the circumstances of the TCI’s 2008 inquiry, Misick added: “Knowing what I know now … the British government always had the agenda. Maybe we could have had our own inquiry into some of the so-called allegations that were made. Instead of having a British government appoint a Commission of Inquiry, we could have appointed a Commission of Inquiry; appointing senior judges from the region — from the Caribbean — and not one but maybe three.”

Misick embattled


Misick, in the meantime, is one of six ex-TCI ministers who was charged after the 2008 inquiry uncovered evidence of systematic corruption. This led to the UK imposing direct rule in the TCI for nearly four years thereafter.

The former Premier reportedly fled the TCI in 2009 but was arrested years later in Brazil and extradited back to his home country where he and his ex-ministers are still being tried in court. Misick, who has been labelled as the accused mastermind behind the alleged corruption, denies any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the Turks & Caicos Weekly News reported last month that a former government minister under Misick’s administration, Lillian Boyce, entered a plea deal in which she admitted to ‘misconduct in public office’. She reportedly agreed to a financial settlement for the other charges that had resulted from the 2008 inquiry.
For her admission, she will not serve any prison time, the TCI publication reported.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese Crypto Entrepreneur Leon Li Identified as Seller of £190 Million London Mansion
Trades Union Congress Proposes Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Surcharge
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for State Pension Triple Lock to Be Scrapped
Anthropic Says Claude Helped Disrupt Biological Weapons and Cyber Espionage Threats
UK Imposes Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements and West Bank Violence
UK Reimposes Sectoral Sanctions on Iran’s Aviation, Shipping and Energy Networks
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as AI and Programming Services Lift Activity
UK House of Commons Rejects Assisted Dying Bill by 286 Votes to 270
UK Reviews Nationwide Emergency Alert Tests After Systems Meet Reliability Targets
UK Seeks Faster Rail Links Across Northern Industrial Corridors
British Business Bank Allocates £150 Million for High-Growth Companies in Northern England
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Possible Amid Pay Dispute and £500 Million Savings Drive
UK Backs Short Extension of UN Sudan Sanctions Regime
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Defends Early Prison Release Reforms and Growth Strategy
Reform UK Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Effort to Circumvent Foreign Donation Rules
UK Analysts Warn Tax Rises or Spending Cuts May Be Needed to Preserve Fiscal Headroom
Jaguar Land Rover Plans Up to 4,000 Job Cuts in £1.7 Billion Cost-Saving Drive
UK Chancellor Warns of Difficult October Budget as Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Declares Israeli Occupation of West Bank Unlawful and Expands Sanctions
UK House of Commons Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for England and Wales
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
×