Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Sir Gary calls for investigation as gov’t statement to COI leaks

Sir Gary calls for investigation as gov’t statement to COI leaks

A government position statement leak published on an online news website yesterday prompted calls for an investigation from the head of the Commission of Inquiry, Sir Gary Hickinbottom.

The issue was first raised by COI attorney Bilal Rawat who said the leak was discovered when the COI took a lunch break on Wednesday.

Rawat said the article was published on the Julian Willock-owned Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) and is titled, “CoI document reveals ‘turf war’ between Ex-Governor Jaspert & VI Gov’t”.

The attorney said the 33-page document referenced in the article was a position statement on behalf of elected ministers filed and served with the COI on June 1, which has not yet been published by the COI.

Position statement shared with Governor’s office


Rawar said prior to this date, the document had been shared with two members of the House of Assembly (HOA) represented by the Silk Legal law firm. The document had only been shared with one other entity — the Governor’s Office, since then, Rawat said.

According to the COI lawyer, he felt the statement required further disclosure from the elected ministers. Therefore, it was sent to the Governor’s Office as that entity needed to be put on notice of the content which criticised their office.

This was also done for the Governor to make any submissions that he wishes to make, Sir Gary said.

Rawat said it was made explicit in the COI rules that all those who receive documents from the COI in the accepted manner are bound by a duty of confidentiality to the Commissioner.

“The substance of the leaked document will be the subject of this inquiry,” Sir Gary said.

Serious allegations made against past governor


He said the document contained serious allegations from government ministers that Governor Augustus Jaspert and the United Kingdom government have acted improperly, unconstitutionally, and illegally.

Sir Gary added that this was in the sense that they have acted against international law and in respect of matters of governance.

Contrary to speculation by participants of the COI and some members of the media, Sir Gary assured that he will be investigating these criticisms.

The Commissioner said this investigation must be done properly. However, he noted that both the Attorney General (AG) and ministers whose position statements were lodged had confirmed that they have no redactions before its publications.

According to Sir Gary, the position statement contains various personal information which both himself and the AG have a duty to protect. This is in addition to information the AG said may be confidential.

Breach being taken seriously


The COI issued a statement late last evening which said, the Commissioner takes the breach of confidence that has occurred “extremely seriously.”

The Commissioner further directed during the hearing that the Attorney General and the Governor’s Office provide by 9 am today a list of every person who has had access to this document. They must also provide confirmation that enquiries have been made as to who has had access to the document so as to ascertain who from that list may be responsible.

Once these have been received, the Commissioner said he will make any further enquiries that he considers appropriate.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×