Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Public officials shouldn’t be accountable for some relatives’ interests

Public officials shouldn’t be accountable for some relatives’ interests

Third District Representative Julian Fraser said he wants to ensure that a particular clause in the government’s proposed Integrity in Public Life bill becomes the gold standard.
The clause in question states: “Where a person in public life is a member of the House of Assembly, that person shall — with regard to any matter being debated, or in relation to which he or she intends to ask a question which is a matter or question in which he or she/his or her spouse or dependent child has a personal interest — disclose that interest to the House of Assembly (HOA).”

Fraser argued that it was important that the words ‘dependent child’ be used in the clause.

He further suggested that the bill may be attempting to remedy some issues that emerged from the Commission of Inquiry (COI) about Register of Interests.

“There is no way you’re going to tell me that this legislation has nothing to do with a Commission of Inquiry,” Fraser said.

Currently, Register of Interest declarations are required to include those of the children of HOA members.

But Fraser questioned that law, arguing that it was not for public officials to know what interests their adult siblings and some other family members held.

“How can I make a declaration for a child who is not dependent, living under my roof? Who has been gone on their own for God knows how long?”

“Those terms hold when you are growing up in a single household as teenagers. Your brother or sister gets married and they move on. You don’t know anything about them,” Fraser said.

He continued: “You don’t know what company they own shares in, you don’t know what business interests they have, but yet they want to hold you responsible and claim that it’s a conflict of interest because you did business with company ‘Y’ and your brother is a shareholder in company ‘Y’.”

Fraser argued that legislators should make laws responsibly and in the reality of the society in which they live.

During previous hearings of the COI, current and past legislators were largely found to have been in breach of provisions of the Register of Interests Act that requires them to make annual declarations of their assets by a specified time.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×