UK politicians have criticised the BVI for missing a key corporate transparency deadline while launching a cartoon-led campaign to promote financial accountability instead.
However, none of the four jurisdictions has met the required April deadline for publishing these plans.
UK Member of Parliament Joe Powell, who leads a cross-party group focused on financial crime and tax, was particularly critical of the BVI in a recent UK Guardian publication.
“The British Virgin Islands have not only missed a key deadline they committed to at the Joint Ministerial Council, but are now making a mockery of UK values by unveiling a cartoon mascot instead of taking real action against economic crime,” he said.
Instead of releasing the new transparency legislation, UK MPs accused the BVI government of launching a cartoon character named Riley Right — a green parakeet dressed in a suit — to promote values like “responsibility, integrity, global awareness, honesty, and transparency”.
Riley Right is part of a wider campaign under the BVI’s National Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Coordinating Council.
Critics argue that this move undermines the serious need for action. “It is deeply disappointing that the BVI and other overseas territories continue to delay the implementation of vital transparency measures,” Powell said. “The UK must now look seriously at how to ensure these longstanding commitments are delivered.”
Another MP, Phil Brickell, also questioned the BVI’s priorities. He stated: “While I welcome efforts to promote doing business the right way anywhere, surely time and money would be better spent lifting the veil of corporate secrecy in the British Virgin Islands, which has been used by the world’s crooks and kleptocrats to clean and stash their dirty cash.”
In response, a BVI government spokesperson defended the cartoon initiative, saying it was “a simple and effective way to engage the wider community and enhance understanding”. They added that looking at the campaign “in isolation would present a highly misleading depiction of the scale of work we have undertaken.”
Regarding transparency registers, the spokesperson said the BVI is “in the late stages of finalising its policy, which will be shared with the UK government imminently and published in due course”.
According to the UK Foreign Office, “all overseas territories are making progress,” and officials are staying in contact to ensure the transparency agreement’s requirements are met.
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So this cartoon is a demonstration of S!0wW@nde’s leadership on a very serious topic. We in trouble buddy
This is what Corna Lady, S!0wW@nde and the other members of the A$$C!0wn Brigade were working on during their trips to London? What the Facq. We have some really incompetent people running the show here
Do our HOA representatives have their sticky little fingers in!
Boys will be Boys.
Uk stop playing with them they are making fools of you. TAHE OVER.
UK stop playing with the Government of the BVI they are making FOOLS of you. They are doing what they want with no accountability.
i agree with the u.k mp, the time we take making a cartoon we could have been finishing the coi reforms
BVI Finance did the cartoon, not the BVI Government. The BVI’s Financial Services product is managed by the BVI FSC, BVI Finance etc., not Central Government. The Government/HOA are advised by the necessary professionals to consider/approve the relevant legislation to support the industry, that is the extent of their involvement. Everything should not be political. We are here touting a story in the f**king Guardian? Really? WTF is wrong with us? We have Sowande and VIP so much that we are willing to lose ourselves in the process? Wow!
BVI Finance is not an entity on to itself. It takes orders from Corna Lady/ at the very least has her oversight and Corna Lady is part of the A$$C!0wn Brigade headed by S!0wW@nde. This is cartoon is very disappointing when we know that we are under a microscope we need to get on with what we supposed to do not invest a cent on cartoons
What’s funny is that when things are going good with BVI Finance/BVI FSC they are touted as statutory bodies and nothing to do with Government but when there is a perceived negative connotation, here comes the technicalities well “Actually the Ministers are involved with……”. Can you guys please make up your minds?
It used to be the case that financial services was separate from Central Government until Corna Lady S!0W@nde and the A$$C!0wn Brigade formed a ministry of financial services. A move motivated by power and now a clear case of when a double edged sword cuts the person weilding it
“Financial Services product” hahahaha
There is a financial services product which is multi layered and multifunctional when you consider the value provided by BVI professionals, Uk, US Etc. The BVI company is a value product to banks, mutual funds, 401ks, legitimate family offices etc etc . The problem is that our leaders do not themselves have technical skills to defend it
BVI Finance and FSC are losing it then! Here is more proof of that!
This is a travesty and what intelligent person would have approved this nonsense cartoon? What was the end goal here? Are we that juvenile? This is serious business and we still doing clown moves. SMH
Is this the new marketing strategy? Father send help!
Lmao wtf the dawgs dem drop a cartoon instead. Is like just tell them you not doing it if you not going to do it.
that’s what we are, a set of cartoon characters, so it is no lie. We are better than hypes that doing actual real work.
At least the bird is cute.
Call him dapper bird, he is indeed cute. Hate to say it but the bird looks better than……….
Sorry to laugh but this is funny. Life is a cartoon and the bvi is not a real place. As for Joe Powell whose articles only demonstrate lack of any knowledge of the bvis financial services and the measures in place to combat ML, TF and PF, perhaps he should watch the cartoon before writing his next defamatory article. Defamatory because it is not based on truths. I would place more weight on the truthfulness in the cartoon. Imagine that. Our regime to combat financial crime from external persons is very strong. What we need is a regime to combat corruption by leaders in the government who keep stealing the public money, allegedly, for stupid parties.
Real talk.
The UK didn’t start slavery, but they powered it. They built wealth from it. And when it ended?
They paid the slave owners — not the enslaved.
So when people say “let them take back the country”… what country?
We were once considered “great for a bird sanctuary.”
No handouts. No lifelines.
We built this. We ARE already independent.
And trust — they won’t come to save us.
History shows they come to control and profit.
Accountability is overdue — but it’s not theirs to give.
It’s ours. We hold ourselves accountable. We free ourselves.
Well if the Central Government has nothing to do with BVI Finance, why would one of its Ministers alledgedly interfare with the Board’s Hiring process in telling the members of the Board who to hire for a position and who not to hire? Then that alledged Minister should be Suspended from holding a Gov’t Office. Please can someone explain as School Children are saying that this situation recently took place?
She surely did try to interfere with the Board’s decision. But they should know Evil will never win over Good.
The Minister needs to be relieved of their duties for interfering in a fair and transparent process. I am happy that the Board stuck to their decision. The Minister is out of place and behaving like a real Jezebel. Tis them friend they had want to hire, but them friend should have done better in the interview! HMMMM
Do you guys really love the BVI or only when things are going well for you personally?
for the UK Governor to take over the entire BVI Financial Services industry in order to stay ahead of UK financial directives to its OT’s
Joe Powell does not have a clue about the financial world, he holds a BA in Geography and gained a MA in International relations from some organization in Uganda, he is totally out of his depth.
Go right ahead; attack the messenger. And by the way, what are the qualifications of your dear leader?