Red flags! VI shouldn’t mandatorily assist foreign law enforcement
Opposition Leader Julian Fraser has strongly rejected provisions in the Customs Management and Duties (Amendment) Act, 2023 which require that the Virgin Islands cooperate with foreign law enforcement bodies.
In order to bring the legislation in compliance with new financial services regulations, a section of the revised legislation was amended to include ‘cooperation with law enforcement agencies, competent authorities, and foreign law enforcement agencies’ and Fraser argued that he was troubled by this.
The veteran politician said local residents will now be sitting ducks once the amended law has been passed. “The minute our people hear about this, cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies, red flags should go up. What are we?” Fraser asked.
He said he had a problem with the BVI’s Customs Comptroller being asked to cooperate with a foreign law enforcement agency and suggested it was a dictation coming from one of the US alphabet agencies such as the CIA or FBI for instance. “I bet our customs officer, our comptroller can’t call on one of them to cooperate with him,” he contended.
Fraser further argued that such new laws help to facilitate extraditions by foreign countries. “By the time they come here talking about they’re gonna extradite someone, they’ve already gotten everything they needed from our own agencies,” Fraser stated.
He added: “This is the law. We’re gonna pass this law in a few minutes and the Comptroller of Customs has no choice but to cooperate. Where is our independence?”
According to Fraser, such legislation needs pushback from the people, similar to that received with the recent Police Act that was brought to the House through the governor.
The game we’re in
Meanwhile, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, in sharing the provisions of the legislation, pointed out earlier that the Virgin Islands is a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and is therefore subject to evaluation by that body against its international standards on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism and proliferation.
He said this was being done with a methodology for assessing technical compliance and CFATF recommendations on the effectiveness of AML CFT systems. The premier noted that, as a precursor to that evaluation, the National Risk Assessment made several recommendations for legislative reform to achieve technical compliance with the recommendation.
“So, we can keep our sovereignty and autonomy and refuse to cooperate internationally and watch the financial services die. We can choose that if we like, the other countries will be happy to take our business,” Premier Wheatley argued.
“We’ve seen lots of benefits from the financial services industry. It requires for us to sign on to the fight against illicit finance, financial crime across the world,” he stated. “We know what it means to have to meet international standards because we are constantly having to do it. I know sometimes it doesn’t feel good, but this is the game we’re in.”
Premier Wheatley reminded House members that the amended law is in line with international obligations which all member countries have signed on to. All over the globe, he said, member countries are required to cooperate in the battle against financial crime, money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
According to the Premier, the implications of not passing the new law meant a negative evaluation, and in turn, a blow to the financial services industry which contributes more than 60 per cent of the territory’s budget.
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really no more to be said …
Frazer needs to understand it’s not evening needs to be challenged.
The extent to which Fraser is out of tune with the post Head Coach, post CoI, world is astonishing.
What happened to the billions of dollars of government revenue paid in since the 1980s? Terrible roads, sewers and garbage disposal.
So what he is sayng is that assisting foreign law enforecement potentially exposes BVI malfeasance which should not be made public.
Secondly, why should the Territory not want to be law abiding?
As to extradition, recall that F H B had a DEA file of drug running evidence that was as long as your arm, yet BVIs did not allow him to be etxradited some years back now.
Frazer once again showing his lack of understanding and ignorance – we need to stop living in the dark ages and modernize our laws. I would suggest such cooperation would be reciprocal.
Our country depends on our international reputation for both finance and tourism. Do you want to start ignoring the foreign law enforcement because they are coming after your family (again)?
It is time to put this old out of date piece of work in a rocking share where he belongs. Yet the folks in the third must be just as backward. They will put him back again, sickening.
This anachronism opposes any improvement in law enforcement.
Why could that be I wonder.
The gentleman is unfortunately a ‘Dinosaur’ and like all the other Dinosaurs that existed he should become extinct as a member of the HoA at the next election!
Is he really so clueless about the importance of encouraging good international relationships to help combat crime as a matter of national security? Especially after the embarrassment brought on the land by the former premier? If his concern is that there will seem to be some forcing, then he should tailor the thing to ensure it is a mutual arrangement and define in what circumstances the information can be exchanged (e.g. some compelling evidence). The financial services scene and the customs scene are two different things so if one requires more due care and clear terms to be as effective as the other, then so be it. He will need to consider that by having measures in place, if requests are not met, the international agents would look to blacklist the bvi. As long as all is considered and we bringing sense to the table, an agreement can be worked out. So I appreciate his concerns but it should not stop there. Consider the resolve to the concerns next.
John Bull and Uncle Samm do what the hell they want regardless of your petty laws and ons sided agreements.
@Native Tongue. Isn’t that what happened with the former Premier? If he had acknowledged the receipt of money in the BVI he might still be here running tings. He apparently didn’t watch enough tv because if he had he would know that it’s when you take the money they arrest you, and he took it in the U.S. So no extradition necessary. Mr. Fraser’s position sounds like someone running scared. Some of us never heard the down and dirty about our “honorable” former premier, but there is the constant talk about how many people actually knew all about his dealings. Mr. Fraser seems tone deaf, totally clueless but somewhat harmless and for as long as he’s been in office we know what he does, but he doesn’t seem to go to the same extremes as Coach. HOWEVER, maybe he does and it’s just not the talk yet until he makes a mistake and it’s all over the international news. Whatever. But me thinks he doth protest too much.
Bring on the coke
“The veteran politician said local residents will now be sitting ducks once the amended law has been passed. “The minute our people hear about this, cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies, red flags should go up… ”
Because there’s a different standard for Right and Wrong in the BVI, compared to Right and Wrong in the rest of the world.
THE COUPLE OF YOU ALL WHO ARE BLOGGING NEGATIVITY ON FRASER ON A DAILY BASIS CANNOT PREVENT HIM FROM WINNING.
“amended law is in line with international obligations which all member countries have signed on to. All over the globe…member countries are required to cooperate in the battle against financial crime, money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.”
What objections do you have Fraser?
He have to defeat the back-biters, pedophiles, rapists, whoremongers, adulterers and flip-floppers. HAVE NO FEAR FOR HE SHALL OVERCOME!
You said it not bad ,it’s not new , so why you making it an issue ( most people know how the system works balready ), how come we don’t hear your voice on the cold blooded murders , the drugs ,guns and the wide spread corruption that is the norm these days ,/ except for one time you talked about a rehab center for those crackheads that they treat and release back into the same environment that transformed some of them into addicts ,( so we giving you credit
for a constructive idea ) or did it just accidentally drop out of your mouth ? ?
If I was in the 3 rd District I will not vote for you Mr. Fraser. Why on God’s green earth you will object to this type of cooperation is beyond me. Any governing body takes this stance they will be out on a tree limb alone. Do you have to object to everything to be relevant? No. Some of your objections like this one makes you look stupid and unintelligent.
All Uncle Sam has to do, is disable us using its money as legal tender and cut all banking ties with us and we are dead. Get rid of this doodoo bird from crippling our lil haven.
Wait a minute you have to consider he does have a point mandatory is a strong word when used in a arbitrary context
If for example a foreign law says anyone who practices hate speech and gains financially from the hate speech is a criminal and their bank account should be seized.
Then we have to ask is this really something we should mandatorily co-coperate with?!
Our laws and upholding of the law should reflect OUR culture and beliefs on right and wrong!
please tell me slavery is done… because it seems “they”, likely old, racist & non afro-centric men, are still colonizing us underhandly under the table & undercover
Its all well and good when the UK and America do it right?
We would be outraged if a middle eastern country was dictating to us which gender should own a bank account, which accounts they can peek on & that we should mandatory assist them in following THEIR law
I find that funny because of the looming recession. In god we trust but some trust in the dollar huh.
We better pray the ‘bad guys’ dont devalue the dollar like the ‘good guys’ did to the people of venezuela. we will all go back to fishing & farming.
His long time buddy and associates was doing a number on his rear end , how come he didn’t SEE ANY RED FLAGS
When His long time buddy and associates was doing a number on his rear end , how come he didn’t SEE ANY RED FLAGS , /