Andrew A. Fahie was ‘framed’ by the UK- Ex-Premier’s attorney tells court
According to Miami Herald on January 30, 2024, the informant, who went by the name “Roberto,” collected hundreds of recorded conversations and text messages with Mr Fahie while they discussed million-dollar bribery payments for access to the British territory.
Fahie allegedly agreed to let thousands of kilos of cocaine pass through his ports to be sold in the United States — “all so the defendant could stuff his own pockets with bribe money,” prosecutor Sean McLaughlin told jurors during an opening statement dominated by themes of “greed, arrogance and corruption.”
Miami Herald further reported that Fahie’s defense team countered that his words will show he had no intention of using his power to enrich himself on cocaine shipments to the United States, without elaborating.
Fahie was framed by UK?
Rather, one of his lawyers argued during an opening statement that Fahie was “framed” by the United Kingdom, which oversees the VI archipelago as an overseas territory.
“He believed the U.K. government was involved in a scheme to frame him to remove him from office,” attorney Joyce Delgado told the 12-person jury.
The undercover operation was directed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and at the time of the DEA sting, the UK government was concluding a corruption investigation of Fahie’s administration — but British authorities said it was not related to the DEA’s sting operation.
Then Governor John J. Rankin, CMG had called the arrest of Mr Fahie shocking and that he had no knowledge of the operation against Mr Fahie.
He had said the US government informed United Kingdom officials of the drug-trafficking case in Miami.
It was later revealed that it is the Governor who signs off on DEA operations in the VI.
Was UK blind-sided or knowingly aided in removal of Fahie?
Giles Whittell, Tortoise Media podcast narrator outlined in September 2022, “So one of two things happened in Miami… either the UK Government was genuinely blindsided by Fahie's arrest which would be odd if the Governor who after all is responsible for security and is meant to sign off on DEA operations.”
“This would mean the Office of the Attorney General in Washington declined to inform an ally that the Head of Government was due to be arrested in a planned sting operation."
He said another possibility was that Her Majesty’s Government was not blind-sided, "and at some level, acquiesced in the removal of a Premier it had reason to believe was corrupt.”
Whittell in his podcast suggested that the UK might have outsourced its law enforcement to the US, with another possibility that the Governor was not told about the operations for his own safety.
“But it doesn’t mean Washington won’t speak to London,” he added.
Mr Fahie was a strong proponent of independence and had a strained relationship with ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert whom he had accused of violating the VI Constitution. It was Mr Jaspert who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, called the CoI to look into possible corruption in the Virgin Islands government over the past 10 years or so.
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57 Responses to “Andrew A. Fahie was ‘framed’ by the UK- Ex-Premier’s attorney tells court”
This bulls*** right here.
He should have never took that bait. It shows a sign of corruption in him.
Although he may have been under paid, he should have just continue to request an increase in his salary.
It probably might be your last.