BVI News

Suspension! COI recommends BVI gov’t stand down for two years!

Governor John Rankin

Head of the now concluded Commission of Inquiry (COI), Sir Gary Hickinbottom has recommended that the BVI government cease to exist in its current format for at least two years.

The recommendation is part of four overarching recommendations arising from the COI report; excerpts from which were read by Governor John Rankin in a press briefing moments ago.

According to Commissioner Hickinbottom, “Unless the most urgent and drastic steps are taken, the current situation with the elected government deliberately ignoring the tenets of good governance will go on indefinitely.”

Sir Gary said the people of the BVI deserve better and said the UK government is obliged to protect them from such abuses.

“The only way in which the relevant issues can be addressed,” Sir Gary said, “is for there to be a temporary, partial suspension of the constitution.”

Accordingly, he recommended dissolution of the House of Assembly and cessation (suspension/termination) of ministerial government for an initial period of two years, Governor Rankin stated.

“During that period, he recommends a Governor led administration, with such assistance as the Governor considers appropriate,” he added.

He also recommended a speedy review of the BVI’s constitution in addition to a curtailment of the open-ended discretionary powers held by public officials including members of the Cabinet.

The fourth overarching recommendation was for a series of audits and investigations to be conducted.

Governor Rankin said these may give rise in due course to further steps including in relation to criminal investigations.

Governor Rankin said these recommendations will be the subject of further discussion with elected officials.

Commissioner Hickinbottom also concluded in his report that the elected government in successive BVI governments have sought to avoid good governance.

More details to follow in a subsequent update.

Here is the governor’s full statement:

29.04.2022 PRESS STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR JOHN RANKIN

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58 Comments

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I guess these conclusions are some of the citizens most feared reality. well lets see how it goes .

    Like 27
    • Take responsibility says:

      I don’t understand the fools who are up and down bawling that the Premier was set up….now,tell me did anyone force him to do anything??? How can you be set up, if you didn’t already dable in criminal activities. So keep bawling and putting blame on others cause that’s what yall good for….birds of a feather

      Like 65
      Dislike 1
      • Jim says:

        Yup

        Fahie had more than ample chances to say no and back away. But his arrogance and greed got him. Now he gets to stay in a US jail for the next 15 years

        Like 44
    • Man-of-The-Cloth says:

      We’re heading down into a total lockdown as predicted on the Yellow News site a few days before Easter. No one but ourselves can free our minds and thus have enslaved it.

      Like 4
      Dislike 7
    • Jim says:

      Welcome back UK!!!!

      It should’ve been sooner.

      Like 43
      Dislike 8
  2. Moses says:

    Amen. Thank you Governor. Please help us steady our ship. We deserve better. Better schools. Better infrastructure. Better governance.

    Like 113
    Dislike 5
  3. Not surprised! says:

    Great that there will be community involvement in which and how any of the recommendations might be implemented.
    It’s an opportunity for the people of the BVI to truly have a say in the future.

    Like 48
    Dislike 1
    • Scammers next says:

      Wonderful!! I hope they start to crack down on the Nigerian Scammers who are working with people here to fund terrorist organizations all throughout África. Word on the street is that the FBI is already watching them especially the old man up belle vue who picture is posted on the 419 Scam Alert Facebook page, WICKED MAN DAT!!!

      • He really sick says:

        Haha funny thing is, just the other say I saw him by western union. Many people pretend and act nice, but deep down they are dirty and rotten to the core. He’s a fake Christian who attends the same church as CSC

  4. Patriotic bvi says:

    amen.

    Like 18
    Dislike 1
  5. ty says:

    Too much abuse is going on around here. Let the minister for the immigration take that.

    Like 30
  6. What Timing says:

    What Timing of Things! I wonder if the Fat Albert would have opposed that recommendation which is why his demise occurred at the time it did?

    We all have brains, and we can think.

    Like 21
    Dislike 4
    • Here goes... says:

      Yes amazing he chose to take drugs to the US just yesterday and discuss how to smuggle them through the BVI in the future all while being caught on tape doing so. Credit to the UK government for setting that up, James Bond would have been proud! Though Bond’s enemies were usually a bit less useless…

      Like 20
      Dislike 1
      • Calculator says:

        I think the teacher needs to pull out their calculator again to calculate how many years he is going to wasting away in federal lock up.

        Like 15
    • Hey What Timing… says:

      Indeed we all have brains and we can think, but in many cases, people forget to engage brain before putting mouth into gear or taking action in response to temptation. It’s a tough concept to learn in the land of no accountability (until now anyway). It has not helped that there has been woeful underinvestment in education for decades. Even in the 21st century, it’s more important to put a/c in the sports pavilion than it is to fix schools. If we want smart leadership, we need to educate our children and ourselves. And, we all need to agree that investing money in education, including vocational institutions, is an essential key to the future. Who do we want to take the reins back from the UK eventually?

  7. Sad day...but says:

    Is anyone surprised? The blatant disregard of good governance by multiple governments has been called out. The chickens have come home to roost…..

    Like 47
  8. The $h..t has hit the fan!!! says:

    There it is. We cannot blame anyone else but our selves. All the hard work we BVI Islanders have made since the 60’s have been upended by the callous criminal actions of a few.

    Everyone who has brought us to this day need to be locked up in a special wing of Balsum Ghut. They have betrayed our country and the honor and trust placed in them. All of these crooks and wrongdoers need to be held accountable for bringing us to our knees.

    A very very sad day in the BVI today.

    Like 67
    Dislike 1
    • Lol - Betray says:

      That’s the way it is with all traitors including adulterers.

    • Justine says:

      The name Fahie shall forever be viewed with scorn. He has set us back several generations. We will never see our country become as good as it certainly shall in the future but not in our lifetime. Shame on Fahie, his co-conspirators and their families.

    • Consider says:

      A “few” you say? I’d say a possible reason this has been going on so long (see CoI report) is that many were benefiting in some fashion. This is not a big place. The drug trafficking has being going on for a long time, sometimes blatantly, so it’s unlikely that knowledge was restricted to only a few. The recommended inquiries will likely flush out others. Plenty of blatant examples of unexplained wealth, ironically in a land that specializes in hiding wealth.

      • Nature's Best Kept Secret says:

        I hope that the UK take a long hard look around the BVI, WEST END especially. It is wreak with drugs and ill gains. They need to check out all those houses and boats that are owned by persons who have NO JOB or own businesses that launder their proceeds. It time that the UK make persons be held accountable for unexplained wealth, including businesses.

  9. hmmm says:

    Why not dissolve the current government and call elections and let the people choose their representative. THE UK GOVERNMENT IS NOT BETTER!!!!!

    Like 6
    Dislike 72
    • Hey Hmm says:

      The UK government indeed may not be better. The issue here is the lack of leaders with much of a moral compass and a sense of ethics. There’s probably only about 10,000 adult belongers to chose from here, and look at the consistency in chronyism, nepotism, lost monies over the years no matter the party in power.

      Like 33
      • Open the gates says:

        But there are many non belongers who meet the 10 year resident requirement who have previously been disregarded as second class citizens. Let’s see what they can offer and welcome them please. The very people saving lives in our ER are treated like outcasts. It’s appalling recognition of their service and contribution just because they ain’t from here. Take a note from Canada – multiculturalism can work if you open your mind.

        Like 23
        Dislike 2
    • @hmm says:

      because the corruption is too deeply rooted, change the top the dregs still there. so you gotta clean it out completely before you start over

  10. Tab says:

    it is time for UK to look at the corrupt practice of the [person] who wants to be the dcp. very incompetent and lackadaisical.

  11. heckler says:

    I’ve been warning you all for months

    Like 5
    Dislike 1
  12. @Hmmm says:

    Because the constitution is flawed and will continue to be abused. The UK has its problems but far from this scale and in the UK there are checks and balances, unlike here!

    Like 14
  13. Check the Speaker says:

    Has anyone checked on the Speaker? He must be having conniptions!

    Like 24
  14. ........ says:

    CHECK PWD FOR CRONYISM AND CORRUPTION

  15. Shropshire lad says:

    Have BVI citizens considered complete union with the UK, on the French model ? Just as Guadaloupe is actually France, so BVI would be part of the UK, whilst retaining a local assembly.

    Good governance would be strengthened, as would prosperity and people’s rights.

    The only problem would be free movement. BVI citizens would be actual UK citizens with full free movement to UK. But, sun-loving Brits could not be allowed to pour into BVI, there would have to be strict annual quotas. Where there’s a will there’s a way. It is feasible, but I would suggest such a move would need, say, an 80% majority in a referendum

    Like 3
    Dislike 7
    • Rubber Duck says:

      Do you want to pay UK taxes?

      Like 7
      Dislike 1
    • Joe says:

      Unlikely. The Brits, historically, never favoured assimilation of their colonies, but rather ruled them at a distance; then finally promoted their decolonistion post 1945.

      Could you imagine, when it was a colony, the people of India having full citizenship and free entry to the United Kingdom?

      It would have altered the “complexion” of the country. UK policy was racist in its withholding of full British Citizenship to its darker-skinned subjects. That is why each colony had its own colonial British Subject (as opposed to British Citizen) passport.

      Only in 2005 was such offered to the BVI and the other remnants of its Empire.

      Like 2
      Dislike 1
    • Maude says:

      Your suggestion smacks of White Paternalism and comes across as patronising: that the Black BVI is inherently incapable of good governance and need to be absorbed by Mama England.

      The BVI Constitution promotes corruption because of the effective fusion of the Cabinet and Parliament, thereby obviating proper Checks and Balances, and needs to be modified.

      Like 4
      Dislike 4
  16. Yes says:

    Clean up
    It,s about time

  17. Jam says:

    Where is CSC?????????????? Honestly Speaking!

    Like 11
  18. Jones says:

    Lets hope Willock pays his bill before he goes …

    Like 20
  19. Time and twine says:

    The Pillock with the wig has been very quiet. His time is coming too.

    Like 17
    Dislike 1
  20. Unearther says:

    Does anyone know where I can find any photographs, footage or social media profiles of Kadeem Stephan Maynard aka “blacka”?

  21. The TRUTH says:

    White daddy coming to fix things huh? And who is going to fix white daddy? Some of you need a visit to the psych ward.

    Like 5
    Dislike 26
    • Huh? says:

      Rishi Sunak isn’t what most people would call white. He’s the guy over there with the money that will be needed to fix things up here.

  22. Shut up says:

    Stfu… go find another man or woman and leave that to God.. or get a seat and drink some water for your salt.

  23. el oh el says:

    Wa he said he believe in magic and witches and can tell the lies in ppl but couldnt seeeeeeeee he was being lied to the whole time. i guess the green back spoke louder than the hoodoo… roll my eyes

    Like 15
  24. Big Richard says:

    make it 20 years

  25. Hustler says:

    You thought you were in the bvi fahie? Well u were not & you were not born in america. You should respect the laws of another man land when ever u go there just as how a vistor or expart should respect the laws of the territory. Teach him a serious lesson. Dont do it but let me do it. Bloody hypocrite!!!!!!

  26. Sam says:

    The UK is just as corrupt as the BVI.

    Like 2
    Dislike 2
  27. Csc says:

    Played the race card like Detroit…devided the ppl and gone?He once said about the Detroit zoo..lets sell it off.Only white ppl go zoo.lol.Him and Kwame…Remember …

  28. Very concerned says:

    But of course, they should not only stand down but should be individually investigated…..

  29. Is true says:

    The once endangered VIP is now extinct…

  30. PaulaFox says:

    nicess

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