Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

CARICOM blasts UK, Ex-Gov Jaspert over secretive CoI launch

CARICOM blasts UK, Ex-Gov Jaspert over secretive CoI launch

The Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) has broken its silence over the secretive nature of the Virgin Islands (VI) Commission of Inquiry (CoI) as established by the former controversial Governor, Augustus J.U. Jasper in collaboration with the British Government days before he demitted office.

Announced on January 18, 2021, the inquiry was called over unfounded allegations of corruption and discrimination in the VI public service, with the embattled ex-governor having no consultations with the duly elected local government ahead of the decision.

At a noon press conference on January 22, 2021, in the ‘Tortola Room’ of the Arbitration Centre in Wickham’s Cay II, Mr Jaspert brought forward no evidence of the allegations, however, said it was based on reports from the 'community' and several others.

At a 12:00 pm press conference held on January 22, 2021, in the ‘Tortola Room’ of the Arbitration Centre, Wickham’s Cay II, Tortola, Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, left, brought forward no evidence of the allegations, however, said that the evidence was based on reports from the 'community' and several others. Right is CoI Commissioner Sir Gary R. Hickinbottom.


CARICOM breaks silence


CARICOM in a statement today, February 26, 2021, has since broken its silence and said they were in receipt of a letter from Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) which apprised of the manner in which the announcement of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) was made.

“Heads of Government are cognizant of the disquiet that has arisen among the people of the British Virgin Islands about the establishment of the COI,” the statement noted.

“Further, the Heads of Government are dismayed at the manner in which the CoI was established with no consultation, or prior communication, between the UK government and the duly-elected government of the British Virgin Islands,” CARICOM said.

Premier Andrew A. Fahie on January 19, 2021, informed that while his administration had no objection to a transparent CoI, he said Ex-Governor Augustus J.U. Jaspert had always told local Cabinet Members, that due process must be followed ahead of any inquiry.


Associate members share VI’s concerns – CARICOM


The regional organisation further revealed that the strongly expressed concerns of the Fahie Government are also concerns shared by other Associate Members of the Community.

The statement, however, did not say how CARICOM intends to move forward with those concerns as a regional organisation given that the VI is currently an Associate Member.

Meanwhile, Premier Fahie on January 19, 2021, informed that while his administration had no objection to a transparent CoI, he said Ex-Governor Jaspert had always told local Cabinet Members, that due process must be followed ahead of any inquiry.

He said the ex-Governor advised “that before a Commission of Inquiry can be convened, that to ensure due process, all Government institutions established to ensure accountability, transparency and Good Governance must be allowed to function and produce their reports,” however, the controversial Mr Jaspert may not have followed his recommendations.

VI Auditor General, Ms Sonia M. Webster, when asked on January 20, 2021, whether she furnished the Office of the Governor with any recent report to facilitate his CoI, said her office had not done so.


No recent reports were sent to Governor's office – AG Webster


VI Auditor General, Ms Sonia M. Webster, when asked on January 20, 2021, whether she furnished the Office of the Governor with any recent report to facilitate his CoI, said her office had not done so.

Ex-Governor Jaspert at his January 22, 2021, press conference in the ‘Tortola Room’ also could not say whether he received written reports from any Government institutions to warrant the CoI.

The former controversial Governor also angered sections of the VI over what many deemed as insensitive and even racist statements, when he advocated for the preservation of names and local landmarks in honour of perpetrators of slavery who slaughtered, raped and killed the ancestors of Virgin Islanders.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×