BVI News

Willock’s attorney arrested on his way to BVI

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Julian Willock (GIS Photo)

Anand Ramlogan, the prominent Trinidad & Tobago attorney representing House of Assembly Speaker Julian Willock, has been arrested.

According to Trinidadian news media, Willock’s attorney was arrested at Piarco airport in the twin-island republic Wednesday morning while boarding a flight to the BVI.

The attorney — who was returning to the BVI for the continuation of his client’s court case against representative-elect of the Fourth District Mark Vanterpool – was arrested in connection to reports of money laundering during his time as Trinidad’s Attorney General, BVI News understands.

“Ramlogan was detained at the Piarco International Airport around 4:15 am shortly before he was expected to board a flight to the British Virgin Islands, where he was scheduled to appear in court,” the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian reported on Wednesday.

It continued: “For the last few years, investigators have been looking into hefty sums of money paid out by the AG’s office to a ‘favoured few’, according to senior government minister Stuart Young. Under Ramlogan’s tenure, more than $1 billion was paid to a handful of people in the legal profession. That figure ballooned from about $40 million during the previous administration.”

The attorney has previously denied any wrongdoing, the publication further said.

Meanwhile, Ramlogan was supposed to be present to represent Willock Thursday, as Justice Ann-Marie Smith rules on whether Vanterpool will be sworn-in as the Fourth District Representative.

BVI News will provide more information as this breaking story develops.

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34 Comments

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  1. I FROM HERE says:

    LOL! Birds of a feather flock together right ?

    Like 43
    Dislike 8
  2. Terror says:

    Chillleeeeeeeeee! I will not mess with certain individuals because they seem to have connections that’s better than some mobile carriers around here. Talk about convenience.

    Like 13
    Dislike 5
  3. The Reaper says:

    What The Attorney Do ???? No delay. Tomorrow is the big dance 4 th all the way Hon MV

    Like 10
    Dislike 4
  4. Magnifying Glass says:

    Now it’s time to investigate our very corrupt system

    Like 21
    Dislike 1
  5. No? says:

    The Justice is to give a ruling no?

    Must that particular lawyer have to be present or in attendance to hear the ruling? Can Willock not find another lawyer to be in attendance to hear the ruling?

    Like 5
    Dislike 1
  6. Trinidad says:

    They did not have to arrest the man like that. What a shame and it seems they meant to shame him. All the time the man at his house…why arrest him in a public place. SMH

    Like 8
    Dislike 20
  7. 123 says:

    so what, mark going still loose

    Like 5
    Dislike 21
  8. FACTS says:

    But the esteemed speaker has nothing to do with a man in TT who got arrested, you haters are desperate

    ndp GO PREPARE FOR THE BY ELECTION

    Like 5
    Dislike 14
  9. Reply says:

    Interesting. Based on my count, this has got to be the third attorney from another jurisdiction associated with the BVI who has been accused of some criminal conduct/wrong doing/unethical behavior in the country they came from in the recent past.

    These revelations makes me wonder how is it that attorneys with such backgrounds can come to the BVI readily to practice law?

    Seems to me if anyone regardless of profession is under criminal investigation or has been implicated in any criminal activity, or unethical professional activities, their backgrounds should be closely scrutinized prior to being hired.

    At a minimum such persons under investigation or with pending charges should be required to demonstrate that all charges were cleared prior to any serous consideration or hire for work in the BVI.

    Someone is not doing their jobs. Seems like any Tom, Dick, and Harry regardless of backgrounds can come to the BVI to practice law. Not good.

    I am a BVIslander who have studied and work abroad for decades. When I applied for a professional license to work in my area of expertise here at home, I got put thru the wringer to work legally in the place of my birth.

    Going thru that process, one would have thought I was a criminal running home to escape my past which I was not. I have no criminal background, and plan to keep it that way.

    While it was a pain in the rear, I understood the process, and accepted that being born in the BVI did not make me special or warrants an exception to the rules. That was a good thing. The scrutiny I received was in the public’s best interest.

    It was even requested of me that I obtain not only a local police report where I lived, but also a FBI report.

    No problem. No issues with that on my part because I have nothing to hide, and my background professionally or otherwise is clean. It was appropriate that my background be looked into.

    While I have never used my “born here” card, the process I went thru did not even give me an opportunity to pull it out if I was so inclined. It was declined right out. Insufficient funds. LOL.

    Based on my experience, these three recent cases in the news makes me wonder, if those in the legal profession are being adequately vetted as I was, and if so why not?

    IMO, something is amiss, and needs to be rectified. These attorneys with questionable backgrounds coming to the BVI to practice law is becoming too common.

    You cannot have people who are accused of crimes, having pending criminal cases, or having been accused of breaking laws else where readily allowed to come to the BVI to practice law.

    That’s totally unacceptable, and corrupts the entire legal system.

    IMO, the BVI legal fraternity needs to police itself.

    Like 29
    Dislike 10
    • Anonymous says:

      In order for us to know that the persons are under investigation we will have to receive the intel from the other countries. It was not advertised that he was under investigation before he was charged.

      Like 8
      Dislike 4
    • BVI lawyer says:

      Every person who is admitted as a lawyer in BVI is required to have someone who is already an admitted lawyer swear to their good character as a condition of admission to the bar.

      It would be interesting to see who swore the affidavit of good character in some of these cases, and whether it was appropriate for them to have made statements to that effect under oath.

      Like 10
      Dislike 3
      • @ BVI lawyer says:

        Some of these persons attesting to the character of the other lacks integrity themself.

        When a lawyer could go in court and lie like nobody’s business it causes one to have no faith in the judicial system.

        At which point do lawyers vow to tell the whole truth like witness do on the Bible in Court.

  10. LOL says:

    Interesting that his own site not reporting this, they like to claim they first with breaking news!

    Like 21
    Dislike 4
  11. wize up says:

    well we’ll only in our territory no one is publicly questioned or arrested for gross misdirection of public funds: millions of tax money is gone from the government treasury and the people have very little to show: pier park millions in overrun and the property not complete: high school wall full payment and the wall not complete: fully payment shell out to BVI Airways and not one plane: 8 million allocated for east end sewage that project not even started…not one person arrested as you can see in other caribbean islands you will be arrested!!!!!

    Like 14
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    • @WizeUp says:

      Time to realize that you are regurgitating old news. Heard about plane, cruise pier, etc all over the campaign trail every single day and night. Actually that could be the reason why the Government was changed. So who is NDP now? No one wants to hear about them. The foolishness VIP is doing is the topic of the day. Won’t list them here, but the list of foolishness is already mounting high. Today for me and tomorrow for you if you do not have clean hands but throw stones.

      Like 19
      Dislike 5
      • Wize up says:

        @@ wize up; I hear that!!! You keep the faith

      • :) says:

        @@Wizeup, The news maybe old but until we receive that $7.2 million that is our loss. Maybe you are willing to just accept the loss but not everybody. That $7.2 million could help fix our water woes. It could help build the High School and Library. It can help provide scholarships for BVIslanders to gain much needed skills to minimize the reliance on consultants and outside help. VIP hasn’t done anything absurd that has cause us to lose money so far. Willock is doing his job as speaker so even if you dont like him he is doing what he paid to do as speaker. Foolishness would be vigorously running for election then resigning then having to pay lawyers to try to get back the same position that you resigned from.

        Like 5
        Dislike 4
  12. LOL says:

    The anguilla jumbie them start wuking

    Like 4
    Dislike 6
  13. granny say says:

    “when yo lie down wid dogs yo always wake up wid fleas”

    Like 13
    Dislike 3
  14. nesjo says:

    BVI needs to start charging these street/taxi stand lawyers in the VI.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  15. @Rubber Duck says:

    The one who hire him is c******t too. What do you expect . We have to redefine INTEGRITY as we know it. Perhaps the BVI has its own interpretation of this word hehe

    Like 11
    Dislike 1
  16. Reply says:

    @Anonymous. In widely available news reports, Mr. Ramlogan who served as AG from May 2010 to January 2015 in T&T resigned his post under a cloud of allegations of witness tampering involving Police Complaint Authority Director David West, which is currently before the court and in which Police Commissioner Gary Griffith is a witness.

    If I can dig up that little bit of info based on a cursory google search, why couldn’t those who regulate the practice of law in the BVI or even those who made the decision to hire this guy done the same?

    You guys act like we live in the jungle.

    One would think a quick google search would have raised some suspicion rather than awaiting formal “intelligence reports” before making a hiring decision.

    More importantly, anyone applying for work in the BVI should have been required to disclose immediately they were under investigation for alleged crimes and report to the appropriate licensing authority.

    Surely, Mr. Ramlogan knew he was under investigation for some time know. He had a duty to report, and the licensing authority had a duty to ensure that those who practice law in the territory are in compliance with all laws and ethical legal practices.

    For lack of a better word, the system of checks and balances appears laxed when it comes to vetting these kinds of hires.

    One last thing, I question the judgment of anyone who hires someone under criminal investigation.

    Reply

    Like 6
    Dislike 1
    • Haha says:

      @Reply, this the same thing your NDP government should’ve done before forking over $7.2mil to those BVIAirway schemers and the good thing is Hon. Willock will not incur a bill so high so go siddung

  17. AH YOU NO SEE NOTHING YET says:

    Willock Still have to pay the TT ATTORNEY the millions he owe him whether he is arrested or not. BTW not the Esteem we the tax payers.

  18. Well ok says:

    Oh Well, Mr.Trickadadian wings got clipped at the Areoport.

    Like 12
    Dislike 3
  19. jesuscristo says:

    Well, as long as our duly elected Premier is above the rahrah and no chance of him being cuffed on his entry into a foreign port,
    Right?

  20. wize up says:

    it is so funny when certain sectors of our country engage in circumnavigating the law of the land it is well and good: we have government officials in this territory associated with financial criminal conduct and some jive turkey thinks we should simply sweep the allegations under the rug and move forward: however we have others in this territory going to prison for Embezzlement while employed in private enterprise moreover Civil servants

  21. wize up says:

    it is so funny when certain sectors of our country engage in circumnavigating the law of the land it is well and good: we have government officials in this territory associated with financial criminal conduct and some jive turkey thinks we should simply sweep those allegations under the rug and move forward: however we have others in this territory going to prison for Embezzlement while employed in private enterprise moreover Civil servants being arrested on Bribery allegations but mr district representative and mr at large representative walks free(I say joke business)

  22. CW says:

    Lol STRUPES

  23. The Hooded Claw says:

    The name JW is shrouded in controversy. Bad choice Mr Premier.

  24. ASKING FOR A FRIEND says:

    Who to blame for m and m not been arrested?

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