Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

Denied! Speaker not granting Fahie leave to be absent from HOA

Denied! Speaker not granting Fahie leave to be absent from HOA

Speaker of the House of Assembly (HOA) Corine George-Massicote has announced that she will not grant leave/permission to First District Representative and former Premier, Andrew Fahie, to be absent from this and any future sittings of the House until his circumstances change.

In an address to the House of Assembly today, Tuesday, July 19, the Speaker said there has been public interest on whether leave should be or has been granted to Fahie regarding his ongoing criminal proceedings in the United States.

“I felt that it would have been most inappropriate for me to make a public comment on this matter and thought it fitting to address this to the House and clarify the matter as it concerns the House,” the Speaker said.

Bail conditions an obstacle


George-Massicote said Fahie had identified the terms of his bail conditions in the US as the obstacle in his way to attending House sittings. The Speaker further said Fahie has not disclosed the timeframe for his return, but she noted a request was made on his behalf to have his trial moved to January 2023.

George-Massicote explained that if the former Premier was in the territory and facing the same circumstances, the need to be granted leave would be irrelevant as he would be able to attend the House sittings without any restrictions.

“However, this is not the case and the significance of traversing the trial is the reality of the Honourable member’s inability to fulfil his duties as a member of this House over the next five to six months. This, in my view, is not in the public’s interest,” the Speaker said.

She added that Fahie has provided notice of his absence from this current sitting (the Fifth sitting) and the next sitting of the HOA. She said he provided the same reason – the terms of his bail – for his inability to attend those sittings.

“I am minded not to grant leave to the honourable member for this sitting or any subsequent sittings for such time as the circumstances of his non-attendance remain the same. For ease of application in the future, it is my polite recommendation that consideration is given to amending Standing Order 84 to clarify the requirements and/or conditions for members being granted leave by the Speaker but until then I remain guided by the Standing Orders,” George-Massicote said.

What does this mean?


Under the rules that govern the HOA, Fahie stands in danger of having to vacate his seat if he is absent in any one session of the House for more than three consecutive sittings without the written leave or consent of the Speaker.

Now that the Speaker has denied Fahie permission to be absent, the former Premier will be removed as First District Representative after his third successive absence.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
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
×