Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 20, 2025

The last thing we need is another Breach of Trust charge

The last thing we need is another Breach of Trust charge

The concern over public officers being arrested and charged in the execution of their duties has heightened with legislators now calling for something be done to abate those fears.
Health Minister Marlon Penn made those calls in the wake of a Breach of Trust charge against former Chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP) Myron Walwyn and Najan Christopher, who has since been sent on leave from the Premier’s Office.

Lawmakers have now taken to pleading with the government to establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in order to ease public servants’ fears about being charged with the criminal offence of Breach of Trust.

Unprecedented scrutiny

Penn recently joined Works Minister Kye Rymer in noting that public servants are now more fearful in conducting their duties.

“In terms of the process which our public officers have to operate under, there’s a level of scrutiny like never before,” Penn said.

Penn said legislators have a responsibility to ensure that the process is clear; especially after previously establishing a process under which constituency offices should function. 

“The same has to be true for the way that public officers should do their jobs. There needs to be clear, standard operating procedures under which public officers should function; particularly as it pertains to procurement and the new procurement rules that are going to be put in place,” Penn argued.

Integrity and diligence

According to the lawmaker, the government needs to have a better way of transaction for its workers and ensure that good, hardworking public servants who perform their duties with integrity and diligence are not worried about coming under scrutiny or being brought before the court based on a process. 

“The last thing that we want to hear again is another public officer being charged for Breach of Trust for executing their duties in good faith, based on a policy directly from the government and saying that they’re not following a process,” Penn argued.

Penn said the government has not outlined this process and argued that there is no clear SOP for how the process should be followed.

“There needs to be a process for ensuring that new legislation, new processes and the standing operating procedures are extremely clear so public officers could perform their duties as they go about their daily activity,” he stated. “[This should be implemented] so that persons could work efficiently and effectively in performing their duties without fear of being scrutinised or fear of [it] being said that they’re not performing duties in an upright manner.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
×