But the motion, which was expected to be the first item on the agenda to be debated yesterday, faced an unexpected delay when the House began proceedings.

Speaking to legislators, Premier Fahie said, although he still intended for the motion to be fully ventilated, he would have the item moved down on the order paper.

According to the Premier, this was as a result of “extra information” that was needed to move the matter forward. He said this information recently came to his attention in his capacity as Finance Minister.

Motion about an individual

In preparing legislators for the upcoming debate, Premier Fahie told the HOA the motion was not about an individual but rather about an official office.

“It is important for everyone to know that the BVI taxpayers are paying for the legal fees for the legal representation of the COI lawyers due to claims of a possible violation of the Legal Professions Act, 2015,” Fahie told legislators yesterday.

“Also, it is important for everyone to know that the governor has exercised his democratic right to have legal representation during the time he will be cross-examined in the COI, which is the same COI that the Governor‘s Office called, and it is also projected that the BVI taxpayers may be paying this expense as well,” he added.

According to the Premier, he was informed that Section 103 of the constitution will likely be used for the two expenses (the Speaker’s and the governor’s fees).

Section 103 of the Virgin Islands Constitution.

Further highlighting the supposed plight of the Speaker, the Premier said the only one who was being asked to pay legal fees in his private capacity while taking action in his official capacity, would have been the Speaker.

Protest and petition

In the meantime, the move to push back the debate on the matter comes in the face of staunch protests outside the HOA by residents yesterday, and on the heels of the court ruling that said Willock had no standing in bringing the injunction against Commission of Inquiry (COI) lawyers in the first place.

The protests followed an online petition which raised well in excess of 1,200 signatures, demanding that Willock be made to pay his own legal costs and that of parties he brought to court. He could pay up to $121,000.

Furthermore, a report given to our news centre showed there was no consultation among legislators before the injunction was first filed, despite claims that the Speaker was bringing the injunction on behalf of the HOA.