As UK advocates continue to portray the British Virgin Islands as a jurisdiction that conceals “dirty money,” talk show host Claude Skelton Cline has pushed back, noting that many British citizens also conduct business with the territory.
Two UK Members of Parliament as well as advocacy groups have recently called on the British Parliament to impose an Order in Council over the BVI, following the territory’s failure to meet the final deadline to implement publicly accessible registers within its financial services industry.
Some media outlets and critics have labelled the BVI a tax haven that facilitates the hiding of “dirty money”—a term often used in reference to money laundering and terrorist financing.
However, Skelton Cline rejected such negative characterizations of the BVI’s financial services sector.
“They’ve used the very provocative term ‘dirty money’. What makes the money in BVI dirty when all the wealthy people of the earth, including your [UK] citizens, are using Virgin Islands companies?” Skelton Cline said on his Honestly Speaking radio show. “What makes it dirty here and what makes it exclusive to us? This isn’t the global standard.”
He added: “Bermuda, Anguilla and others are included here. But we as a people take any narrative they are purporting.”
Skelton Cline argued that the BVI has one of the top financial services industries globally and urged residents to reject the negative narratives being pushed by the UK.
“Everything they tell us about ourselves, we just take it and run with it. How did we come to this?” he questioned.
Amid growing pressure from UK parliamentarians and advocacy groups, it remains unclear whether the BVI government will revise its new policy, which stops short of fully implementing publicly accessible registers, in response to the latest threats of direct intervention from the UK.
This man is not helpful to our problems at all. In fact it makes it worse for us. Remember his terrible behaviour with the UK when Andrew was the Premier. He was rude, disrespectful and he caused the relationship between the governor and government breakdown. ZbVI need to take him off the radio like they did to Edmund. He is doing more damage than what help he brings.
finally cooked.
You should know better. Dirty money comes from DETROIT.
THE CITY SLICKER ) AS FAR AS WE KNOW ( THE CARTELS ) ISN FROM THE UK./ THE NOTORIOUS DREW ISN’T FROM THE UK EITHER / YOU & Mr DUPLICITOUS – AKA – THE WIGGED ONE ISN’T FROM THE UK EITHER / NEITHER IS THE DUDE IN MIAMI WHO INTRODUCED THOSE LOVING CARTELS TO US / YOU AMD OTHERS LIKE ARE GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER AND AS YOU SAID ( WE ARE LIVING OUR BEST LIVES ) ITS A TRUE STATEMENT , YOU TRULY ARE , MORE POWER TO YA’AL
He should know about dirty money
Does the UK send the AK 47s and AR 15s that are so prevalent here that 2 bit low level teenage criminals have them?
Yes, indirectly they probably do. The once ruler of the seas had nerver has a moral compass.
how is he not in prison, his contracts were blatantly fraudulent according to the c.o.i
This dude just don’t know when to shut up. He talks so much crap he don’t even realize when he doing more harm than good.
And BVI in the business of making sure the dirty monies dirty dealings stay hidden. VI hide who is hiding the dirty money. That is how we VI make our money.
That is why we don’t want to have to say who beneficial owners are as hiding that is what we get paid for. We have had no shame in it for 45 years and see no shame now.
For 45 years money has flowed in to this place to pay to hide dirty dealings and dirty money. And we still got no roads, no water, poor internet, sketchy electric, home grown hoodlums and criminal Premiers (poster boys of our country, and our very own Wheatley Boys New Colonials abusing, Power and setting the playing field for corruption. All the pay we earn for this dirty buisiness gone to dirty leaders and their friends. None has gone to making VI a better place for the people.
Shame is what we have earned. The shame should stay with our leaders like the money has.
VI people would be no worse off without this business as the money never reaches the infrastructure or the people. Check minimum wage in VI under the Wheatley Boys New Colonialists world.
And to the fools that may ask. What makes it dirty money
IT IS THAT WE GET PAID NOT TO LET THE WORLD KNOW WHO”S MONEY WE HIDING OR HOW MUCH.
Not that the dirty money is ours!!! For all we know C.O.C-C may be hiding his own dirty money. That is the point. Anyone can hide their dirty business here.
You have to wonder why some voices so loud to keep it that way.
Why so loud C.O.S-C.
It is VI that helps the dirty succeed! We good at it.
One day we hope it is not the fools that have the VI voice or the Corrupt Elite Leaders with theirr Colonial aspirations but true leaders once more like H.L.S.
this is rubbish. BVI is no worse than anywhere else and has systems better than most larger countries. These are a pair of unknown charlatan politicians in the UK and do not speak for the UK. We do have a problem with putting forth our own side to demonstrate the fallacy of what they are saying. People like CSC thieving from the Government really does not help our global image while it leaves our infrastructure and education worse than much poorer countries.
The Governor has a part to play here and business leaders and politicians. Problem is, the very people holding the line for BVI are maligned. Those in financial services who have come to BVI from all over the World are made routinely to feel unwelcome, while it is they who stood shoulder to shoulder with BVIslanders while we suffered Irma and other crises. This means we do not speak with a diverse and unified voice and we do not better plan our strategy. We have opportunities but we need to look at the resources we have together and use them.
And you cline should realize that all this offshore bank system is for colonial pirates to hide their loot, so when you turn around and talk about it’s bad for Cyndi to report on bank of Asia or the alliance to call for a full independent investigation shows you are on the payroll of the crooks.the premiere make it sounds as though Cyndi is unpatriotic, and Myron did something wrong, we fighting down integrity to protect mafia money banks saying it put food on the table, it’s like Andrew making a commitment for the territory to be used, is so natalio making a commitment for the territory to keep the financial register secret, ain’t protecting a soul from the BVI but underground mafia from around the world, and the payment channels to member of parliament HOA.
You said it! He’s actually defending helping the colonizer capitalists to hide their money so that he and his cronies can benefit because when you really look at it, how has the BVI benefitted as a whole from the industry? From all the money made, BVI should have world-class schools, world-class heakthcarw, great sewage system and waste disposal, great roads…but we don’t. A very small percentage of the population has benefitted hugely and they are the ones who send their children to private schools, they go abroad for medical care, they have solar panels and generators, etc so what do they care about the rest of the people.
…Then, again, many of the people don’t care about the corruption either, even though they’re feeling the effects.
Hurry up and give him some because that’s what he’s grifting towards.
Only a matter of time now and the game will be up. No matter what CSC tries to cover up with his verbal nonsense, the UK is on to us, and knows we have not committed to transparency at all. Make all the noise you want preacher, they are coming and coming for you too!
How hypocritical it is for European countries to speak on “Dirty Money”. The wealth that countries like the UK, Spain, Portugal and France enjoy was made from cotton, sugar, spices and slaves. How could you sail to a man’s country, kill the people you MET there and claim the land for your king/queen? What kind of employee benefits did slaves have?? overtime? Pension? social security?
How about invading countries and stripping them of their natural resources…oil, precious metals, stone,gems etc.
Those things may have happened long ago in times past but the evil & greed still exists. It is simply camouflaged. The whips have been replaced by policy
You do realize that you’re fighting for the descendants of the enslavers, colonizers and other pirates to continue to have the ability hide their money, right? In other words, you’re saying that they have a right to secrecy for the same wealth that they made from slavery, colonialism, and all what you mentioned.
The people using tax havens don’t want their wealth taxed fairly so that the whole of their society can benefit. They want to hoard it just as they did during slavery. Some of the users of tax havens are also gangsters who don’t want their assets scrutinized. Some are the leaders of our African and Caribbean countries who have gained that wealth by robbing their countries (look up the rulers of Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, for example) and want a safe place to stash their illegally gotten gains..and, apparently, you think they should be able to do just that.
And BVI in the business of making sure the dirty monies dirty dealings stay hidden. VI hide who is hiding the dirty money. That is how we VI make our money.
That is why we don’t want to have to say who beneficial owners are as hiding that is what we get paid for. We have had no shame in it for 45 years and see no shame now.
For 45 years money has flowed in to this place to pay to hide dirty dealings and dirty money. And we still got no roads, no water, poor internet, sketchy electric, home grown hoodlums and criminal Premiers (poster boys of our country, and our very own W* Boys New Colonials abusing, Power and setting the playing field for corruption. All the pay we earn for this dirty buisiness gone to dirty leaders and their friends. None has gone to making VI a better place for the people.
Shame is what we have earned. The shame should stay with our leaders like the money has.
VI people would be no worse off without this business as the money never reaches the infrastructure or the people. Check minimum wage in VI under the Wh* Boys New Colonialists world.
And to the fools that may ask. What makes it dirty money
IT IS THAT WE GET PAID NOT TO LET THE WORLD KNOW WHO”S MONEY WE HIDING OR HOW MUCH.
Not that the dirty money is ours!!! For all we know C.O.C-C may be hiding his own dirty money. That is the point. Anyone can hide their dirty business here.
You have to wonder why some voices so loud to keep it that way.
Why so loud C.O.S-C.
It is VI that helps the dirty succeed! We good at it.
One day we hope it is not the fools that have the VI voice or the Corrupt Elite Leaders with theirr Colonial aspirations but true leaders once more like H.L.S.
Where your gangsta friends come from??
One thing we are good at is tearing each other down here in the BVI. Disgusting! outsiders love it.
well if cline defending it best believe where theres smokes there fire! cuz he was just as corrupt with those contracts