Walwyn slams accusers who say rich locals gain wealth dishonestly
Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn has criticised what he described as unfair perceptions that wealthy locals have gained their riches through dishonesty.
While speaking in the House of Assembly (HOA) recently, Walwyn said some people in the territory and abroad assume that Virgin Islanders with multiple properties or successful businesses must have acquired them through illicit activity. He rejected this notion, arguing that many locals have built their wealth through legal and strategic investments.
“We have done a lot in a short space of time. We have come an extremely long way as a people,” Walwyn stated. He suggested that some external observers struggle to understand the economic progress made by Virgin Islanders.
He pointed to the territory’s history of land ownership as a foundation for generational wealth. “Those of you who have houses, you probably get a piece of land from your grandfather, somebody leave a piece of land for you. So you start off with that land. You go to the bank with the land, you get a loan. You might say you get a loan to do the first part. You do the first part, you live in it, take yourself out of rent. You build upstairs. You have people coming in for financial services and other areas, and you rent downstairs. And you live upstairs,” he explained. “And sometimes you’re so lucky that the downstairs pay for the whole house, depending on how it is and how nice it is.”
Financial success doesn’t equate to criminality
Walwyn warned against what he described as an increasing tendency to assume financial success equates to criminal activity. “We keep coming with all of these bills thinking that anybody in BVI who has anything is a thief and a fraudster,” he said while referencing new financial legislation to increase oversight on assets and financial transactions.
Lawmakers were debating the Proceeds of Criminal Conduct Amendment Bill 2025 at the time, which strengthens measures against money laundering and terrorist financing. While acknowledging the need for compliance with international standards, Walwyn argued that the legislation should not unfairly target locals engaged in legitimate business.
“I detest that. I repudiate that. And all of us should repudiate it,” Walwyn asserted.
In a previous debate, he warned that external forces sometimes view local success with suspicion. “When they come here and they look up on the hills and they see all these big houses… that’s how they think we’re corrupt because [they’re] frightened,” he said.
The issue has gained prominence amid ongoing international scrutiny of the BVI’s financial services sector. The territory is under pressure to implement stricter financial regulations following recommendations from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).
Walwyn called for balance in financial legislation, ensuring that efforts to curb illicit activity do not result in undue hardship for law-abiding citizens. “The best that we can do as legislators is to make sure when we come into the House that the bill does not affect innocent people,” he said.
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Thank you very much Hon. Walwyn for standing up for BVI. While you acknowledge that yes we have dishonest elements in our country and they should be punished the majority of people are law abiding and get their resources through honest means. Despite our challenges we have come a long way as a people and we should be proud of our successes.
Unfair?
Come on.
Surely, there are enough hard working locals.
But Fahie as a fantastic example had far too much wealth for a live long public servant. I am sure there are “a few” others who fit this profile.
Like his family member that owns that well known bar as well as a lot of other properties despite taking early retirement from customs?
30 million missing from Pier Park? Our incarcerated Premier? F’s villa on a backbencher salary? The Government meetings at your restaurant? RT owning large chunks of western VG? CR as local partner but never actually providing trade licenses? The fisher and farmer give away?
It is an endless litany of “crimes” that resulted in the COI!!
The pier park nonsense has been debunked years ago with the audits and appraisals of the said property. Imagine the BVI and its economy right now without the pier park. If the white man did it then we would be praising him for saving us. Just because it was Mark, Claude and local contractors that built it in record time, it’s criminal and a problem. We fear the wrong people around here, it’s our own who are the devils just waiting in the dark to pounce.
It’s true that KPMG did an audit for the Pier Park project. It took a year and more than $ 1 million to conclude that a proper audit was not possible because of inadequate project documentation. So, pray tell, how did that debunk the missing millions from the project?
Okay so worried about the critics of the wealthy but never hear the cries of the suffering…..Wally you is one i like, please remember there are two sides to a coin, instead of jumping to defend how the wealthy get theirs (which you dont know cause u dont live in ppl lives) worry about how the poor and needy can be assisted.
Only now I know you ain’t getting in as premier for this headline, we know majority of these locals ain’t get it legitimately! Stop spewing nonsense, I guess once they launder it correctly it considered legitimate?!
Walwyn a sell out and he just show how cr**ked he is,if our agencies use to do their work a lot of these people would’ve been exposed! Ain’t like they smart they just bribing the authorities or thas them family who turning a blind eye
Defend the wealthy???? Let them defend themselves. Your job is to serve ALL the people of the BVI whether they voted for you or not!!!
Once it’s laundered properly according to walwyn it’s legitimate. Fu**y man fr
It’s all a matter of perspective. Is it really dishonest or just the way it is. I always like the “well others do it”
Start with the contractors who withhold employee taxes and NHI payments and never forward them
I just love how this minister speaks. His words are always a joy to read. Thank you honourable.
Banks…take land..it happens all the time..easy come…easy go.Study Wall win, bout go bank.Please be careful about building apartments as Trump may invade the Caribbean,and turn it into a base.He wants Jamaica..so does China..best natural harbour in the region..and bauxite.
The amount of rental companies and laundry mats through this place yuh. Got more than a Spanish in a Spanish speaking company
Do we have that much people Renting cars on a regular? Everyboys using 4 different laundry mat on a regular? Weird
Now we got clothing businesses like …/gas affiliation, West etc Only criminals and people of a certain lifestyle and vulnerable school kids wearing those clothing… Weird
@ REALITY CHECK – ONE OF GTHE 3 HOLY MEN FRO CGB HAS BOLDLY SAID THAT THERE IS NO CORRUPTION HERE / @ DEEPP SEA VOLCANO – JUDGE WIGGIE UYOU JUST ADMITTED WHAT YOU MASTER WAS DOING , PERHAPS
IF YOU HAD TOLD TO DO THE RIGHT THING , HE MAY NOT OF WALKED INTO THE LION’S DEN IN MIAMI , WHERE NOW RESIDES , AND YOU WON’T BE DOWN HERE HOLLERING OUT ” FREE THE DREW ” INSTEAD YOU MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED UMYO HIS RODEO GAMES, INTENTIONALLY OR NOT INTENTIONALLY REGARDLESS , ITS HISTORY
No one get rich honestly. None. They may inherit riches from dishonest parent or grand parent, or win the lotto, or takes cut backs, or a pusher, there is no honesty in business. Under paying staff, selling product they know to be bad, inflating prices, taking all the profit that hard working employees helped the company to get, they takes Millions in bonuses and gave the staff very little or none, Greed breeds dishonesty.
AS THE SAYING GOES , THOSE WITH CLEAN HANDS HAS TO FEAR , SND IF ” TRANSPARENCY ” IS IT , THEN, WE GOT ROOT OUT THE CRIMINALS WHO IS BEING ALLOWED TO WALK IN THE SRTEETS AMONGST US / OR , WE ARE ONLY FOOLING OURSELVES , SO WE MIGHT AS WELL LET THE WANNABE GANSTERS DO THEIR THING , AND HOPE AND PRAY THAT WE ARE NOT IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME / OR WR WILL ALL BE SINGING ” ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
I agree with you but point fingers at all. How did american, syrian, Uk and south african nationals along with others who came with bothing but the clothes on their backs get their wealth in the BVI? You all need to stop picking on and destroying each other. The average non black person weather american offre british born.into wealthy families inherited some of their riches from illegal and immoral légal activities.