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Can gov’t ministers steal land? Wheatley suggests it’s not possible

A section of the British Virgin Islands

The question of whether government ministers have been or are even capable of stealing land and apportioning it for themselves has been bandied about in hushed tones for years.

But former Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Vincent Wheatley, attempted to quell that suspicion by dismissing it out of hand as not being possible.

During his debate contribution on the Commission of Inquiry, the Ninth District Representative said persons may not have realised this, but the only person that can possibly sign off on Crown land is a governor of the territory. 

“No minister can sign on no land, no minister. And the governor don’t need the minister permission to sign on no land either,” Wheatley argued. “Unless it goes to Cabinet and then [while in] Cabinet, the minister is in there, only the governor can sign off on Crown land.” 

He added: “So when ayo hear say, you hear talk about minister thiefing land and this person thiefing land, only the governor could sign off on any Crown land in this country, the governor.”

Corruption not found in COI report?

In the meantime, Wheatley blasted the COI report for not definitively coming to any conclusion on whether corruption in the form of bribery has been found within the BVI government.

Reading from the report, Wheatley said, “the evidence is such that it would be very difficult, if not impossible for any impartial person to conclude anything other than there is information that such dishonesty may have taken place in the BVI in recent years.”

This statement was a quote from Sir Gary Hickinbottom, the Commissioner who helmed the COI and issued the report. 

He questioned Sir Gary’s statement about it not being necessary for him to make findings in relation to corruption in the form of direct personal bribery, given that the overwhelming picture of the principles of good governance were being ignored and worse.

In the report, Sir Gary said it would be frankly surprising if there were no such corruption.

Wheatley suggested however, that the conclusions arrived at in the report were similar to gossip and hearsay and noted that the BVI was blasted for its perceived corruption in various media across the world.

Somebody got fooled

“You have evidence of information. What is evidence of information?” Wheatley questioned.

Wheatley then suggested that someone was fooled; possibly in the production of the COI report. 

“Evidence? You either have information or you don’t have information? Evidence of information? Well, I have evidence somebody get fooled. I have evidence somebody got paid and ain’t question what they got paid for,” he added.

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22 Comments

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  1. ? says:

    There are a lot of people in Tortola changing the names on deeds illegally and falsifying documents to steal property. I know because it happened to me. It’s incredible how much stuff can happen in such a small place.

    Like 37
    Dislike 1
  2. Rubber Duck says:

    Simple to solve. Let Ministers make public what lands they and their close relatives hold and how they came about owning it.

    The more they keep things secret , the more people will speculate.

    Like 49
    Dislike 2
  3. Shine Head says:

    I wouldn’t believe anything this foo have to say.

    Like 20
    Dislike 2
  4. half truths says:

    Ministers put land in family and friend names all the time

    Like 25
    Dislike 1
  5. Skinning cats says:

    The Public and the COI are well aware there’s more than one way to profit from land sales without transferring the property into your own name.

    Like 21
  6. Lots of it.. says:

    All of them as far back as 60 yrs. Nothing getting better in this place

    Like 13
  7. Resident says:

    Another retarded contribution. If you lie to the Governor by getting him to sign off on a disposal of land to an undisclosed associate or frontman; it can still be stolen.

    The CoI is not there to make definitive findings. It’s there to see, amongst other things, if there is a prima facie basis to refer matters to the appropriate authorities for formal investigation. That is what we are seeing happening. Hopefully there will be more. There is plenty to look at.

    What happened to all the Government revenue paid in since the 1980s? Why is our infrastructure so poor?

    Like 34
  8. TurtleDove says:

    You have a point but……Why were the established rules not followed? Why were better rules not in place? The Premier issue is more detrimental to the BVI than the COI.

    Stop wasting your time here and do your best to help come up with good governance rules and polices so we never have to go through this again..

    This is not about you, Mark or Malone you all need to help or shut UP!

    Like 19
    Dislike 1
  9. lol says:

    “Did” is a better verb for the headline in this contect

  10. Rule of Thumb with Politicians says:

    If a politician tells you A the true answer is B if a politician tells you B the real answer is A. Apply that to anything that is uttered by a politician especially the quote on quote businessmen/politicians we have.

  11. @rubber duck says:

    I believe you does drink rum. You very often write things that make no sense and demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of simple things. Have you ever heard of the right to privacy? It would do you well to check on things before you blog.

    Like 1
    Dislike 20
    • Rubber Duck says:

      Every civilised country has disclosure of interests rules for its politicians and top civil servants because the BVI is not unique in having greedy people.

      Its a price they pay for their privileges and power and it helps to keep them honest.

      Like 23
  12. Forensic Files 101 says:

    Actually I think he wrong. note I did not read the article only the headline.

    however crown have the right to buy out your land if they find the need for it

    So actually he is right they can not steal it but do have a right to buy you out if they find a need for your land.

    They should propose an offer for it and that all depends of the development of the land at the time of negotiation.

  13. @@rubber duck says:

    Did you realize there’s a second person going by the name rubber duck/Rubber Duck?!

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  14. Mestizo says:

    really, former ministers now own half of a sister island, how was that possible??

  15. Public Disclosure says:

    Of course they could steal land. They and ordinary folks. Probate and the settling of estates are not publicly published. Neither are death notices.. I was under the impression that by law, Notice of the settling of a deceased estate was required to be publicly published for a specific length of time prior…I personally have heard of instances where relatives and heir on and /off island were never notified about wills and property distribution. Routine happenings in Nature’s Little Secret. Perfect and convenient,deliberate opportunity,especially for District Reps with personal knowledge about their constituents property and family structure.

    Like 12
  16. Stolen land says:

    What about the land reclamation project next to the Sir Francis Drake Highway near Havers, that has a recent Premiers name all over it

    Like 11
  17. @Stolen land says:

    And not to mention several portions of reclaimed land from Big B going down the Channel towards West End that all seems to belong to certain members of a family!

  18. ??? says:

    Not for public and elected officials in positions of authority. Every developed country have these trucks to protect citzens.

  19. Check Again says:

    Yes, look at RTO and the situation in VG! Sold out completely!

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  20. VG says:

    Butch tell what U know about land next to dumpsite in VG.We need to know as pushing garbage over the hill now is unbearable

  21. LOL says:

    and the large tract of land by the cruise ship dock belonging to another former Premier? And the Seafront properties in Sea Cows Bay belonging to another former Minister?

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