Govt’s IRU not part of COI! Attorney General asked to correct falsehood

The Commission of Inquiry (COI) has written to Attorney General Dawn Smith to correct misinformation that government’s Inquiry Response Unit (IRU) is part of the COI.

Government established the IRU last month to ensure the Fahie Administration’s full cooperation with the Inquiry.

But in media release on Thursday, COI Secretary Steven Chandler reported that the recent publicity and information about the IRU is having “a misleading effect resulting in confusion about the IRU’s role and function”.

“To be clear, the IRU is not part of the independent Commission of Inquiry … Members of the public cannot engage with the Commission through the IRU. If they wish to engage with the Commission, they should contact it directly,” Chandler urged.

“While the Commissioner welcomes the establishment of the IRU … he wants to reassure members of the public and public officers that the IRU is wholly separate from the Commission. The Commission is, and will remain, entirely independent of the BVI government,” he added.

Chandler then renewed the COI’s open invitation to anyone who believes they have information that may assist the Inquiry to immediately submit it through the COI’s secure website.

In addition to the website, persons can contact the COI through its secure email address ([email protected]), OR through its WhatsApp phone number — +44 (0)7832 111254 — for messages or audio/video calls.

Persons can also mail information to the COI via its UK postal address — The Secretary, BVI Commission of Inquiry, Room RB 1.11, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2EG.

“Please be assured that all information will be received and held in strict confidence,” the COI said.