Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Speaker files court injunction against COI legal team

Speaker files court injunction against COI legal team

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Julian Willock has filed an injunction to block three Commission of Inquiry (COI) attorneys from conducting any further “legal work” for the inquiry until they have been called to the BVI Bar.
An injunction is effectively a judicial order restraining a person from beginning or continuing to carry out a certain act.

The three COI attorneys being blocked are Bilal Rawat, Andrew King, and Rhea Harrikissoon — all of whom make up the COI’s legal team hired to offer support to Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom.

Months after commencing work for the COI, the attorneys in question retroactively submitted applications to be admitted to the BVI Bar.

The Speaker filed an objection to those applications, arguing that the COI trio breached the territory’s Legal Professions Act by practising law in the BVI before being approved to do so. However, the attorneys reportedly questioned whether the Speaker had the standing to make such an objection.

“The court ruled last month that we did have standing and set a trial date for the case in October of this year. We had also raised other concerns which I’m not at liberty to disclose at this point as the matter is live before the court,” Willock announced in a press conference Wednesday morning.

“Last week, I had further instructed Silk Legal (the law firm representing the Speaker) to file an injunction to prevent the three Commission of Inquiry lawyers — Rawat, King and Harrikissoon — from doing any more legal work associated with the Commission of Inquiry until the judge rules after the October trial,” the Speaker added.

Willock further said he and his team have also sought a determination from the court as to whether it is lawful for attorneys, who have not been admitted to practise law in the Virgin Islands, to be appointed to act as barristers and/or solicitors in any commission of inquiry.

They will also seek to find out from the court if it is lawful for attorneys not admitted to the BVI bar to carry out legal duties in relation to commissions of inquiry.

“If the courts decide that points One and Two are not lawful, there will be, naturally, consequential orders which I am not at liberty to discuss at present,” Willock said.

The Speaker told members of the media that his only interest as the head of the House of Assembly — the highest law-making body in the BVI — is that everyone complies with the territory’s laws.

He and his attorneys further made it clear that their intention is not to have the COI discontinued in any way.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×