BVI News

Former FS says corporate entities need to do more in giving back

Eighth District candidate within the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), Allen Wheatley.

A former Financial Secretary within the BVI government said he believes much more needs to be done by corporate entities in giving back to the community.

Eighth District candidate within the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), Allen Wheatley, has contended that, for too long, foreign companies, especially those within the banking and financial services sector, have taken from the territory without being good corporate citizens in return.

Wheatley said some of his observations over the years have included scenarios where the territory’s economic base has lacked the diversity to sustain the growth of the country.

The political hopeful said he’s already held preliminary discussions with persons on how the BVI can diversify its revenue base, including introducing initiatives such as trans-Atlantic shipping, improvements in telecommunications, and developing the blue economy.

But Wheatley was also quick to single out what he felt was the private sector’s insufficient contribution to the territory’s growth.

“I look at Virgin Gorda after [Hurricane] Irma, and I watched how those millionaires and billionaires spent inordinate sums of money to fix back the homes of the Virgin Gorda people, without asking for a dime in return, giving them roof material… you look at Tortola, and it took us so long to get going,” he argued.

Thank God for Haycraft

Wheatley also pointed to the length of time that it took schools in the territory to be repaired and said this also bothered him.

“They bother me because you have like banks here making $25 million profit — profit you know, not revenue, profit — and not one bank, not one trust company could do what those people did in Virgin Gorda. I can’t understand that,” he stated.

He chided businesses for allowing residents on Tortola to ‘suffer’ in the wake of the 2017 hurricanes, even as millionaires poured funding into the rebuilding of Virgin Gorda. “Thank God for [Peter] Haycraft and the Enis Adams [Primary] School. Look what that man did up there,” Wheatley commented.

He added: “We have to seriously take stock of how the corporate businesses — and I’m not talking about local businesses, I’m talking specifically about financial services — and I’m probably gonna offend some people, but I’ve told a lot of people in the industry already, I [will] come gunning. I ain’t joking about it. If I get a chance, they are going to make a more substantive contribution in this country. They have been making millions of dollars year after year and do nothing.” 

Wheatley further contended that the model that was used by Haycraft can also be followed for other businesses, where funding for any particular project can be managed entirely by a corporate entity and not be filtered through the government, which may eventually lead to bottlenecks and red tape. 

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31 Comments

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  1. Reality check says:

    Let’s see how much the local wealthy families have given back to their own communities?

    Like 50
    Dislike 2
  2. Truth says:

    Even to offer training for college graduates, is a tall order for some companies in that industry.

    I often feel for those returning to the the territory from law school. Yet they want us to grant residency after 10 year…

    Like 6
    Dislike 8
  3. LOL says:

    If the Politicians would not rob the Piggy Bank we would be in perfect shape. As it is now we look like a 3rd World Country in spite of all the money coming in through the Financial Services. Shame on all of you.

    Like 31
    Dislike 1
  4. 1st district original says:

    One con man in MIAMI and another one from the past coming to our future. ” FORWARD EVER, BACKWARDS NEVER” GOOD RIDANCE!!

    Like 31
  5. Retort says:

    Government funds could have been used to improve infrastructure unfortunately that naught girl MISS APPROPRIATION has spent them all.

  6. Bumble bee says:

    Another Andrew.

    Like 20
    Dislike 1
  7. ok enough says:

    Allen,
    You may think the rhetoric sounds well ahead of an election but enough is enough.

    If you want to stand by this, you ought to have the good grace to enter into a public discussion with the leaders of financial services and tourism businesses.

    It would be useful but I expect you will be humiliated about this statement. It’s frankly disgusting given everything corporates do and indeed try to do but are impeded/blocked for this territory. That is only compounded by those same corporates – who are staffed by humans, many of whom worked night and day in the aftermaths of floods, storms and mortal disease, to keep the territory going, keep neighbours alive and well, keep business here, educate our youth…

    You ought to be ashamed and if you consider you words against what actually happens, a more informed and honest reflection and discussion would probably help everyone work together as a community. As each committee and political how many projects, with associated funding, skills development and economic activity, that they have on their desk which they have not responded to or blocked…

    Like 19
    Dislike 1
  8. Fake says:

    The photo shop image is just as fake as the character behind the image. Good riddance indeed.

    Like 19
  9. Smh says:

    Think public funds being mismanaged now, give the one who was CONVICTED of misusing public funds a seat in HoA…set of poppy show

    Like 29
    Dislike 1
  10. Loose Cannon says:

    This guy is such a loose cannon! Driving up and down EE like a crazed man overtaking people and constantly having road rage. He curses like a drunk sailor every chance he gets and is me**ally unfit. Please do not vote for this loose cannon!!

    Like 22
    Dislike 2
  11. hmm says:

    The people who come here set up their shops employ people and pay their fees to the Government coffers why are you f..king them up for. The amount of money we make here in our treasury if we would stop the wastage we would not need charity to fix anything for us. And we have to be careful of this private partnership.

    It is alleged that you have an insurance man who donates and in return he wants the whole country including our best waterfront land. We just need leaders and representation in the house of assembly.

    Like 16
    Dislike 1
  12. SMH#3 says:

    LET HIM SIT AND WATCH PEOPLE’S MONEY. A MAN IS FREE TO DO WHATEVER HE WISHES WITH HIS MONEY. WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOUR PLANS ARE TO IMPROVE THIS COUNTRY.

  13. .... says:

    the man wa the tell yah kiss yah Mother This and that when he under rum want votes now lol TOLA ISNT A REAl PlACE

  14. The TRUTH says:

    Allen, we aint forget you went jail … lol

    Like 19
    Dislike 1
  15. Salty Fish says:

    Same corporate entities this Government crushed?

  16. hmm says:

    I don’t think people who went jail for stealing from the government should be still eligible to run for politics… Is like what kinda a poppy show place we really running here

    Like 26
  17. OK!!! says:

    EXACTLY!!! How quickly we forget! He and the VIP have absolutely no SHAME!

    Like 17
    Dislike 1
  18. Taxpayer says:

    the assistance grants could be returned as they were not used to fix boats or till the land.

  19. Corrupt FS says:

    https://www.offshorealert.com/tag/allen-wheatley/

    Why is the VIP running with co**upt politicians (again)

    Like 11
  20. Muskateer says:

    Allen…which one are you…Athos, Porthos or Aramis…? NONE !…because you changed the motto to…”All for one, and more for me!!”

  21. @ muskatter OJ says:

    Say all ah dem corrupt..Birds of ah feather dine together. The nerves of Allen and Showwande. In the midst of an active COI bri g a damn cr**inal before us. HC in Miami waiting on his fate after dishing out tax payers money to his friends, family and cronies as if it was his and Allen went to jail for * tax payers money..ah you nah gat no shame box tarl sah..VIP the most corrupt Government in history of the BVI.

  22. @Corrupt FS says:

    For those of you who are not subscribers to offshore alert (note to Editor of BVI News: you should be a subscriber) here is one of the articles linked:

    A corrupt former Financial Secretary in the British Virgin Islands Government has failed in an attempt to have one of two separate criminal convictions against him overturned.

    On May 4, 2006, the Privy Council, in the United Kingdom, dismissed an appeal by Ludwis Allen Wheatley and his business associate, Wesley Penn, against their convictions at trial for fraud and corruption in regarding two Government contracts totalling $72,320 that Wheatley had awarded to two Penn-operated companies, P&W Heavy Equipment and Accurate Construction, in which Wheatley had an undisclosed interest.

    A key aspect of their appeal to the Privy Council was the admissibility of bank records on microfilm that the Magistrate presiding over their trial in 2003 had admitted but which the British Virgin Islands Court of Appeal later ruled were inadmissible because they were not obtained under The BVI Banker’s Books (Evidence) Act, although the Court of Appeal also determined that this was insufficient to overturn the convictions due to a “staggering” amount of other evidence indicating their guilt.

    In its ruling, the Privy Council concurred with the Court of Appeal that “the prosecution case in no way depended on the microfilm cheques, but cannot accept the Court of Appeal’s interpretation of the Act”. The Banker’s Books Act was not the only way that the bank records could have been legally obtained and it emerged “at a very late stage” that prosecutors had also obtained copies of the bank records under the Proceeds of Criminal Conduct Act 1997 and, therefore, the evidence “although providing little more than corroboration of other evidence, was rightly admitted” at trial, stated the Privy Council.

    Wheatley and Penn were each sentenced to six months in prison in January, 2004 for the offenses that were subject to the Privy Council appeal. The same month, Wheatley was also sentenced to nine months in a separate case after pleading guilty to corruption-related charges concerning another contract in which the government was defrauded of more than $500,000.

    Wheatley was Financial Secretary for the BVI Government from July 7, 1998 until he was suspended from duties in March, 2002.

    Like 18
  23. NOPE says:

    Clean your paws and tongue.

  24. Shame on Sowande says:

    …for adding the jailbird to the vip ticket. Nothing new. This is what the vip is about. Please put these dishonest amateurs away once and for all.

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  25. Mermaid says:

    Importing and installing poverty and crime in excess is a surety to collapse.Only the corrupt get the gravy.

    Virgin Gorda’s dominant demographic is at a different level than Tortola’s. Note the property value there as a result. Tolian’s land,their basic and unique claim to a solid start pales in comparison to that of Virgin Gordians.

    Incorporate the MONACO MODEL in the VI !!!
    ZERO poverty as a result. Everybody Happy.

  26. Seriously? says:

    This man is a joke. After Irma, the banks assisted to avoid a disaster in the territory by working with clients to fix their homes and avoid a huge non-performing debt problem. It was Government who neglected their responsibilities by not having adequate insurance and not building a contingency fund from all the money that foreign trust companies brought into the BVI. His song about bad foreigners is tired and old and wrong. He is no solution to fix the country’s problems.

  27. Me says:

    I can’t believe this guy.Did jail for abusing my tax money now going to rep.me.It’s beyound cause he was given lots ofGovt. Contracts under VIP for furnishings now what.pls.pls. people in BVI Wake up

  28. lol says:

    so many filters not sure who that is in the picture

  29. eastend girl says:

    what do the churches do with their cash as well. thinking of that one controlled by the clone family

  30. Island Man says:

    Only in the BVI, you can have somebody convicted of misusing public funds run for office like it’s nothing. Anyway, all of them are the same some just never got caught. By the way, how is the case with the Ex-Premier going?

  31. Mmm! says:

    School children say. The grant money done pay W****** court fees by Slo*. The BVI is not a real place.

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