Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Sep 21, 2025

BVI anti-corruption initiative: Governor pushing for legislation to investigate persons with ‘unexplained wealth’

BVI anti-corruption initiative: Governor pushing for legislation to investigate persons with ‘unexplained wealth’

In a bold BVI anti-corruption initiative Governor Augustus Jaspert has said he will be “putting forward legislation” to help local agencies to effectively investigate individuals who possess “unexplained wealth” locally.

Governor Jaspert made the comments during a media briefing on Thursday, December 3.

He staid there are many residents in the territory who have raised concerns about the high number of drug, gun and cash seizures, which have recently taken place in the BVI.

“These make it very clear that the territory is vulnerable to drug trafficking, serious organised crime and all that comes with it. Criminal investigations are underway, so I will not comment on specific investigations, but we cannot ignore the fact that there is a problem here.”

“Drugs and smugglers are able to enter the territory’s closed borders and our people are getting killed. The risks for the territory are significant and we must not let this crime continue to infiltrate our society, our businesses and our way of life and we must not let the profits of crime risk corrupting our institutions,” he added.

Governor Jaspert said he hopes that the Cabinet and the House of Assembly support the legislation.

Proposed legislation within government’s plans


In a subsequent statement to the governor’s, Premier Andrew Fahie said in response that his government’s legislative agenda contains plans to enact such laws to bolster accountability in the territory.

He said: “With respect to legislation for accountability and good governance, your government has expressed our commitment to strengthening these laws in the Speech from the Throne which was delivered by none other than Governor Jaspert on 5 November 2020.”

“Your government’s legislative agenda for the upcoming year includes bringing forward the Integrity in Public Life Bill, Witness Anonymity legislation, the amending the Criminal Conduct Act to make provisions for unexplained wealth which derives from corruption and criminal activity, and several pieces of legislation to strengthen our justice system,” the Premier added.

Just last month, members of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force seized more than 2,300 kilos of cocaine — the largest such seizure ever in the territory. Two police officers were arrested and charged in connection to the seizure.

The drugs had an estimated value of $250 million.



Related articles:

'I stand by’ my statements on slavery & reparations – Gov Jaspert

Allegations reported by governor are reckless, damaging

BVI anti-corruption initiative: Governor pushing for legislation to investigate persons with ‘unexplained wealth’

LETTER TO EDITOR: The animosity between Governor and Premier

Premier blasts Governor for ‘reckless’ statements on ‘purely allegations’

Governor refuses to give details on hold-up of Marijuana Bill

Governor Augustus Jaspert is right with his anti-corruption initiative, but his anti-reparation standpoint is nothing but institutional corruption

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
Documents Reveal Mandelson Failed to Declare Epstein-Funded Flights as MP in 2003
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Harris Memoir Sparks Backlash from Democrats for Blunt Critiques in ‘107 Days’
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Japan’s ‘Death-Tainted’ Homes Gain Appeal as Prices Soar in Tokyo
Massive Attack Withdraws from Spotify Over Daniel Ek’s €600M Defence-AI Investment
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders Third Lethal Strike on Drug-Trafficking Vessel as U.S. Expands Maritime Counter-Narcotics Operations
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
Why Google Search Is Fading and AI Is Taking Its Place
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Federal Judge Dismisses Trump’s Fifteen-Billion-Dollar Suit Against New York Times, Orders Refile
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
DeepSeek Claims R1 Model Trained for only $294,000, Sparking Global Debate Over China’s AI Capabilities
SoftBank Vision Fund to Cut Nearly Twenty Percent of Staff in Bold AI Strategy Shift
Intel’s Next-Gen Manufacturing Gets a Lifeline from Nvidia’s Strategic $5B Deal
Erika Kirk Elected CEO of Turning Point USA After Husband Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Massive Strikes in France Pressure Macron and New PM on Austerity Proposals
Trump Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook
Hillary Clinton’s Reckless Rhetoric Fuels Division After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
NASDAQ Rises to Record as Intel Soars More Than 20%, Nvidia Gains 3%
Nvidia’s $5 Billion Bet on Intel Reshapes AI Hardware Landscape
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Trump’s Quip on Biden and Google Lawsuit Revives Debate Over Antitrust Legacy
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
×