Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs (): On 18 January 2021 (Hansard, HCWS716, column 32WS),
The House was informed that the then Governor of the British
Virgin Islands (BVI) had launched a Commission of Inquiry (COI)
into claims that corruption, abuse of position and serious
impropriety had taken place in public office in recent years.
On 4 April, the BVI Governor received the Report of the
independent Commissioner, the Right Hon. Sir Gary Hickinbottom.
The Governor announced that publication would follow in June
after discussions between BVI political leaders and the UK
Government on the Report’s findings and recommendations. However,
the arrest by US authorities on 28 April of the then Premier of
BVI, Andrew Fahie, led to the Governor publishing the Report the
following day.
The Report is a thorough, evidence-based assessment of the state
of governance in the BVI. The Commissioner has identified serious
impropriety and gross failures of governance by elected officials
through several administrations is highly likely to have taken
place. I have today placed copies of the Report in the Libraries
of both Houses.
The Report makes 48 recommendations to address underlying issues
including urgent reforms, investigations and medium-term
measures. These will help deliver the deep change, which the
people of the BVI deserve.
The Commissioner made a further recommendation, assessing that
elected officials in the BVI would not deliver the essential
reforms required, he reluctantly concluded that the only way to
ensure required change would be for a temporary suspension of
those parts of the Constitution by which areas of government are
assigned to elected representatives, and the assumption of
related powers by the Governor.
Since the Commissioner delivered his report there have been a
number of significant developments, not least with the removal of
Andrew Fahie as Premier through a vote of no confidence and the
creation of the new Government of National Unity (GNU). The
Governor has also ordered a number of criminal investigations, as
recommended in the COI Report.
The UK and the Governor have worked with the GNU since its
formation to turn its public commitments to reform into a strong
implementation plan with a strict and comprehensive set of
milestones that need to be met. If they are, it will protect
against corruption and ensure the return of good governance.
I believe, in the first instance, the new government should have
an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to reform through
the implementation of the 48 COI recommendations and the further
measures they have proposed.
The Governor and UK Government will monitor implementation and
assess progress quarterly. Each BVI Government ministry and
department will also provide a monthly report. The detailed
implementation plan will be published by the GNU in due course.
If it becomes clear that this approach is not delivering the
reform the people of the BVI want and deserve we will take
action. This may require the swift implementation of the final
Report recommendation.
In order to be able to do so quickly if required, the UK
Government has submitted an Order in Council to the Privy Council
that would allow this administration to be introduced. The Order
will be laid in Parliament, but not brought in to force. Should
it prove necessary to do so, I will instruct the Governor to make
a proclamation in the BVI Gazette appointing a day that the Order
will come into force.
The people of the BVI want and deserve change and have made their
desire for better governance clear. Elected officials know this.
We want to support the new government in making this change and
allow them the opportunity to reform. The Order in Council will
provide the people of the BVI with complete reassurance that
change will happen.
We have a duty to protect the people of BVI from corruption,
criminality and poor governance. We will stand by them.
