Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Premier: Lots of bills to 'strengthen' justice system, good governance

Premier: Lots of bills to 'strengthen' justice system, good governance

When the Sixth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) of the Virgin Islands is held on March 4, 2021, a number of bills to strengthen the territory’s justice system and good governance is expected to be introduced.

This is according to Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), who said the legislative agenda for the government is going to be extremely busy this year.

“In the next couple weeks we will be going back to the House to pass a lot of legislation to strengthen our justice system, to be able to strengthen our good governance system,” Premier Fahie said on the Virgin Islands Party’s radio programme, ‘Let’s Talk’, on ZBVI 780 AM last night, February 16, 2021.

According to Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie, who said the legislative agenda for the government is going to be extremely busy this year.


Campaign promises


The Premier reminded that most of the legislation on good governance and the justice system is what the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), prior to being elected, had promised to bring to the HoA.

“And these are things we campaigned on, no one is pushing us to do it, no one has written us to do it, no one has insisted that we do it. If you pick up the manifesto of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), you will see Integrity in Public Life legislation, you will see Contractor General legislation, you will see Whistleblowing legislation, and a plethora of legislation to improve good governance.”

The Integrity in Public Life legislation, along with others relating to strengthening the justice system, was also mentioned in the Speech from the Throne as delivered by ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert in November 2020.

The Speech from the Throne, which is written by the Government of the day, represents the Administration’s legislative agenda.

“These are some that we are bringing forward to the next sitting of the House of Assembly and the next one after that, along with plenty other legislation, including the extension of the Stamp Duty legislation, including legislation to make amendments to the Customs Act to allow duty-free for all renewable energy products and hybrid cars for a specific time...” Premier Fahie stated.

Most productive HoA


2020 was one of the most eventful and productive in years for the House of Assembly, with June 2020 alone seeing a record-breaking 15 pieces of legislation.

Those include legislation that previous governments and legislators had shunned for years, such as the Consumer Protection Act 2020; Gaming and Betting Control Act 2020; and the Cannabis Licencing Act 2020, the latter of which is yet to be assented to by the Governor.

Other legislation in June included the Stamp Duty Amendment Act 2020 and Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Act 2020.

Stream & Watch Live


The Sixth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) of the Virgin Islands will begin at 10:00 AM on March 4, 2021, and is will be carried live on the House of Assembly YouTube and Facebook page, along with live broadcasts on ZBVI 780 AM, CBN Radio 90.9 FM, CBN-Television and FLOW TV channel 101.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
×