Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Over $500K and counting! HOA has spent more on litigation than AG

Over $500K and counting! HOA has spent more on litigation than AG

Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has lambasted the governing Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration for a seeming change in the mandate of the House of Assembly (HOA), given its recent proclivity for litigation.
Speaking during the budget debate last evening, Penn said more than half a million dollars has been spent towards litigation by the HOA in the past three years, a figure that dwarfs even the Attorney General’s Chambers’ spending in that area.

And according to Penn, this amount only covers paid invoices and does not account for pending invoices that are yet to be dealt with by the House.

In the corresponding period, Penn said the Attorney General’s Chambers has only spent about a quarter of a million dollars on litigation from its budget.

Penn further disclosed that the litigation spending was from unbudgeted amounts.

The House of Assembly is led by Speaker Julian Willock, who has been embroiled in a number of unsuccessful and costly legal ventures since his appointment to the post.

Willock filed an injunction against the newly re-elected Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool in 2019 to prevent him from taking his seat as a member in the HOA.

An appeal in that matter was later abandoned after it was initially lost at the High Court level, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

More recently, Willock filed an injunction against three Commission of Inquiry (COI) lawyers to prevent them from being called to the bar in the BVI since he felt the attorneys were practising illegally at the time.

This injunction too was abandoned after failing to garner the approval and support of the Attorney General before the High Court.

Willock was later declared by the court as being liable for legal fees incurred by all parties involved in the matter and was ordered to pay some $98,000 in court costs.

Premier Andrew Fahie subsequently moved a motion in the HOA for a committee to make a decision on whether the legal fees should be paid by taxpayers instead.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
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
×