Customs Commissioner Wade Smith placed on administrative leave
Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Customs, Wade Smith has been placed on administrative leave.
Highly-placed sources indicated to our news centre that this administrative leave takes effect immediately.
The exact reason for this decision is not yet clear to BVI News but it comes months after the release of the controversial Commission of Inquiry report that resulted in the Royal Virgin islands Police Force opening several criminal investigations into multiple government departments and agencies.
The decision to have Smith placed on administrative leave also comes several weeks after another high-ranking public official — Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Office, Carolyn O’Neal Morton — was placed on similar leave while the RVIPF conduct investigations.
COI Commissioner, Sir Gary Hickinbottom had said in his report that he could not exclude the possibility that corruption may exist among officers in HM Customs and the Immigration Department.
“The environment in each – but particularly the former – is conducive to such,” Sir Gary said.
As a remedy, Sir Gary recommended that “independent vetting of all current HM Customs and Immigration Officers at all levels needs to be undertaken on an urgent basis.”
BVI News, in the meantime, will provide more details on this developing story as it becomes available.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
When they going reach to investigate PWD?
Many of us saw this coming…it took longer than we thought, but better late than never. Some residents want to live life on the fast lane and dabble in drugs and guns, while some of us want to live a peaceful life doing an honest 9-5 and we want to be able to move around the island freely with our family and not have to worry about being gunned down. Ms.Pickering was gunned down at her own home, Trinity and Mr.Penn were on their way home and the list goes on. For a small island too many high powered guns have made it’s way here and it’s time that those who are responsible for the safety of the ports of entry be held accountable.
I wonder why that could be?
Who is Government Official 1?
Good riddance. He spent his time harassing tourists and local boat owners and made not one single drug bust in all his time. I wonder why that was.
A n**ty piece of work.
Get his associates now, his foot soldiers.
It,s about time.
GO1???
A-MEN!
I’ll take Headcoach Assistants for $700 (thousand), Alex.
Well Bvinews you are really on top of the game cause there’s nothing on this on the yellow site LOL
(Shouting) THE THING START!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hear, hear!
The two with the drug dealers gold chains.
It will be making them very nervous over there.
you spelled “Carrying out BVI Law/Fining Law breakers” wrong
dont mind the noise smithy small thing that another which hunt
Just because he exposed the dutty police them
Well my a** the ting start a message to all those who work in (HMC TASK FORCE ON LAND AND SEA RESIGN NOWN WHILE YOU HAVE TIME AND TO THAT B**DEN GIRL FROM HUNTUMS GHUT YEA THAT PREETY STICKIE HAD ONE TURN YOUR SELF IN THE WARRANT DONE SIGN FOR YOU THIEFING BEHIND)
1 by 1 bvislanders are being systematically destroyed….WOW!
What about the rest of the officers that enabled him and didnt once have the morals to call out the alleged wrong doing? That is why the police have got to work at the ports because customs is corrupt.
About d**n time next step put his a** in jail
spiral has commenced for various civil servants in Customs and Premier’s office.
C******pher in Trade need to be next
god giveth and god taketh away. U all are more corrupt and racist than the whites. UK is doing a good job. Some them needs to be replaced from their position because the people pay for a service and all they do is keep the country stagnant due to their greed.
So because he’s a bvislander it’s a witch hunt and he’s being destroyed??? You can tell the mentality of some of you
If you was there or involved in wrong doings, your name would not be mentioned!!
THEY ARE TRYING TO GET RID OF ALL THE LOCALS IN TOP POSITIONS
Mika was right
Strange that…what possible explanation could there be?
There are alot of snakes in our grass or rather up our a$$! Notice how these blogs are that try to paint a negative “NARRATIVE” of the BVI! Same people who here feeding off of the US dollar but still trying to belittle the Territory and its people! The man is put on administrative leave and no further info has been provided but yet to jump to conclusions! SMFH! Let the process take its course!
Gov official numero uno? I was patiently waiting. Jump on your phone and broadcast this now. Everybody business was in your mouth like the little g**l you are. Now we all know and see yours. The world is round isn’t it?
As he should be….
As if you didnt already know…
It’s about time they removed this co**upt h**rtless individual. His influence goes way higher than you think. Even the politicians were afraid of this guy. I hope he does not get reinstated to his post. Really hope justice is served and they clean up all of the other co**uption internally. It shouldn’t stop with just him because he did not work alone. Keep going, keep cleaning and sweep them all out. i don’t care how many dislikes I get either, anyone that’s not in their circle knows how they get treated.Enough is enough and all who needs to talk needs to talk on every and anything they know to stop this corruption.
The saga begins
Who is benefiting off of US dollars only ? Is greed for the US dollars why we find ourselves in questionable situations at the point in BVI history ,,,
When TRUTH is revealed and justice is spoken out yiu say it is SNAKE which BIBLE do you read
Who to blame the Drew he killed the Bvi not the UK
Innocent until proven Guilty – yes, that is the law. But do you really think he would have been suspended if there wasn’t enough information and evidence already gathered to start the legal process to end in prosecution and jail time?
Smu**ler in chief caught red handed
Who will be next??
FINALLY!
There are some other crimes that need to be investigated too.
Who brings all these hookers into the country and has the power to waltz them through immigration and labour?
LOL it was a long time coming. She did a lot of dirty work and it was kept hush hush…hopefully, her time is up NOW!!!
Only the crooked ones.
She can’t sleep her way out of that lol
These people are not smart. No one they getting mix up, he should have resigned a long time and safe this embarrassment..Between Foy and maynard one will talk to save themselve.its going be more very soon
And he got no sh**e, I remember when he showed up to the little girl’s funeral. God really does see all. I dont feel sorry for him and his cronies
Only the corrupt ones!
What is the big deal? Nothing happened to Carolyn O’ Neal Morton, nothing is going to happen with Wade Smith. Who is going to bring a case against either of them? They are on vaca with pay. More waste of taxpayer’s money, imo.
Yes, get “C_sh-n!
And the police are not corrupt?
Not sure because those in jail are yet to be “suspended”.
Greed kept him from resigning. Jail house here they come
I was patiently waiting for this to happen….this sc*****ag and his cronies have done more damage to the local charter industry and have given the BVI a seriously bad reputation in the world sailing community that we may never recover from….Yay, yay, yay…about time…
The Governor using the police to help clean up for now and then he will sweep through the force .He is organized and systematic. The Uk has hundreds years of experience ..
G R pulling laws out customs act that doesn’t even apply to some of the fines, shameful they way they operate an your are afraid to challenge them because they won’t allow you to win unless it’s before the court. They hurt a lot of people’s good character by smearing their names as they’re some criminals.
Who knows.
yeah rite ,and I suppose those locals are holy angels ?/ OK let’s get the holy csc / VG Queen ? /the bishop and the rest puppets , we are going to sit down in the streets everywhere in road town , day and night , while we hollering out ( FREEDOM / FREEDOM – FREEDOM ) we going to close it down ?
Dumb dumb
The person who suspended him was the Governor. No politician dare because he has too much on them.
Good
People really like to destroy people reputation in the BVI mission. People need to stop this stupidness. Especially on these sites. The man ain perfect and no one is. If he is guilty of something time will tell but you destroy the man character land that is bad.
Captain, this ship is sinking
Captain, these seas are rough
We gas tank almost empty
No electricity, we oil pressure reading low
Shall we abandon ship?
Or shall we stay on it, and perish slow?
We don’t know, we don’t know
Captain, you tell we what to do
but look he da@# face, if criminal had a face
wait das the customs officer gyal wha give the police man the wrong child………………she doing ting ah long time but time longer than twine
Hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha!!!!
Watch this space.
This man is a te****ist. Why he stay so long?
The yellow site took down their report man. Wellsah!
LOL
Yep, I noticed that this morning.
Thing to talk. More to come, stay tuned.
When will they investigate those on the government breast? The ones that been milking for years.. all of a sudden, them giving loans all willy nilly
Maybe now Customs can do some real work. Stop harassing business and actually stop the drugs and guns coming into the BVI?
Funny how Customs never make no drug gun bust?
Wrong dept.
Wa she do?
Why dem ain’t touching that bully from the C****Rep*****g U**t?? She was held sometime back.
Plenty PWD backhoe and truck building private houses and doing personal work for friends and family
How about ppl stop living on they boat, stop lying about not doing charters, start paying tax, nd stop thinking because they YT with a lil inheritance money they can come to my BVI and BREAK OUT LAWS!
UP NEXT IS HOSPITAL WITH ALL THAT S**T FLOATING IN HIGH OFFICES , AND PENSION OFFICE LETS HEAR HOW MUCH THEM THIEF FROM PENSION OFFICE AND HOSPITAL THEY WORK HEAD IN HEAD AND SEND THIER A%% TO PRISON , IS FIFIRST ISLAND I SEE PEOPLE STEAL IN THE OPEN SO AND LIKE ITS THE NORM
Stay and home with full pay and dont change your ways – nothing to see here. Nothing ever changes
Customa and immigration have been corrupt for a very long time. About time something was done!!!
All mouth on blast like them have no pride ,Go home, back to where all you all come from. Here looking handout off this territory, pack up and go back. How you get here, a territory full of every nation in the world. That man is a US Citizen .. set of banana picking fools. Belonger, no sah go back where you belong.
God left the bvi years ago
Why didn’t you leave with him???
Another drug bust tonight. Once again its the police with customs nowhere in sight. Throw the key away.
@Cha looks like whenever the public suggests who to investigate is when they act on it. I should throw a name out here and see if they will indeed do something.
His big friend
Yeah! Like the former Minister of Health who is under investigation?
AMEN!! Too many undercover racists here in the BVI! They live among US!