Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 20, 2025

BVI’s historic Commission of Inquiry now officially underway

BVI’s historic Commission of Inquiry now officially underway

The territory’s historic Commission of Inquiry (COI) officially started today when Judge Gary Hickinbottom was sworn in as the sole Commissioner of Inquiry.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in the presence of the Governor and a senior Magistrate.

“I was sworn in as Commissioner this morning and my work begins today. I’ll be supported by a team, including secretary to the Inquiry, Steven Chandler, who’s already been appointed and who is here. But I’ll also be supported by a solicitor and counsel to the Commission — both shortly to be appointed,” Judge Hickinbottom said at a press conference on Friday, January 22.

Inquiry website now live


The public is being invited to log on to the COI’s official website to provide information that may assist the Inquiry.

“[It] will not only have information about the Inquiry but will have a portal by which anyone can raise queries and submit information which falls within the terms of reference and which they consider may be helpful,” Judge Hickinbottom explained before adding that the website is now live.

He said other means of submitting information will be shared on the website and will include, email, Whatsapp and a postal address in the UK.

“We’re currently working on whether we can have a sufficiently safe and secure dropbox here,” Judge Hickinbottom said.

The hearings


In the meantime, Hickinbottom suggested that hearings will officially begin in weeks and “hopefully some or perhaps all of the proceedings will be in public and will be live streamed”.

He, however, said he “can’t make a commitment yet because we don’t know what the hearings will cover”.

“Over the next couple of weeks I will be inviting a number of people whom I believe might be able to assist the Inquiry to come and talk to me and we propose holding sessions and various locations on Tortola and on the sister islands,” said Hickinnottom.

“I hope that the vast amount of information I have referred will be sent to us over the course of the next month or so, so that we can move on to the next stage of the inquiry,” he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
×