We’re unbothered about ‘Gov’t Official 1’, willing to help US - Dr Wheatley
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has signalled the government’s willingness to cooperate with United States (US) officials if assistance is required in further investigations of alleged co-conspirators of former Premier, Andrew Fahie.
According to Premier Wheatley, while what was read in Fahie’s arrest affidavit was both shocking and concerning, he has all confidence that measures are being taken to investigate and to address any type of criminal activity taking place in the Virgin Islands.
“I’m confident that our law-enforcement agencies have certainly been apprised of the particular situation, confident that they will be able to advise us in the national security council of any developments. No, I’m not concerned at all,” Premier Wheatley said.
Dr Wheatley was at the time responding to questions at a press briefing late last week where he was asked whether he was worried about an unnamed government official who was mentioned in former Premier Fahie’s charging affidavit.
In the affidavit, the person mentioned as ‘Government Official 1’ was described as a high-ranking, corrupt government operative who has ‘many employers’, insinuating that the person is controlled by drug dealers and facilitates the passage of illicit drugs through the BVI.
But Premier Wheatley, while arguing that the BVI is a safe destination and the territory’s leaders want to keep it that way, said law enforcement officials in the BVI have a strong history of working with officials in the United States.
“We want all forms of corruption, we want all forms of criminal activity to be rooted out of our society. We don’t want drugs here in the Virgin Islands, we don’t want guns being smuggled, we don’t want human trafficking in here and we have to cooperate with our law-enforcement agencies and law-enforcement agencies in the United States or any other place in the neighbouring islands here to see how we can root out criminal activity from our societies,” Premier Wheatley said.
In the meantime, Dr Wheatley said he has had no communication with the now-disgraced former Premier Fahie either directly or indirectly since his arrest.
“I’m confident that our law-enforcement agencies have certainly been apprised of the particular situation, confident that they will be able to advise us in the national security council of any developments. No, I’m not concerned at all,” Premier Wheatley said.
Dr Wheatley was at the time responding to questions at a press briefing late last week where he was asked whether he was worried about an unnamed government official who was mentioned in former Premier Fahie’s charging affidavit.
In the affidavit, the person mentioned as ‘Government Official 1’ was described as a high-ranking, corrupt government operative who has ‘many employers’, insinuating that the person is controlled by drug dealers and facilitates the passage of illicit drugs through the BVI.
But Premier Wheatley, while arguing that the BVI is a safe destination and the territory’s leaders want to keep it that way, said law enforcement officials in the BVI have a strong history of working with officials in the United States.
“We want all forms of corruption, we want all forms of criminal activity to be rooted out of our society. We don’t want drugs here in the Virgin Islands, we don’t want guns being smuggled, we don’t want human trafficking in here and we have to cooperate with our law-enforcement agencies and law-enforcement agencies in the United States or any other place in the neighbouring islands here to see how we can root out criminal activity from our societies,” Premier Wheatley said.
In the meantime, Dr Wheatley said he has had no communication with the now-disgraced former Premier Fahie either directly or indirectly since his arrest.
