Motion on Speaker's court fees is about conscience- Dr the Hon Wheatley
The Minister made the comments during the 12th Sitting of the 3rd Session of the 4th House of Assembly yesterday, November 4, 2021, during the debates on the motion to exempt the House Speaker from having to pay legal fees in a case against three Commission of Inquiry lawyers.
According to Dr Wheatley, in the case of the motion, persons must learn to divorce themself from their views of Hon Willock as an individual and focus on his role as Speaker of the House.
Hon said other influences on persons' opinion on the motion are the facts of what transpired and the merits of the case.
He reminded that the Legal Professions Act, 2015, is a law in the VI that must be followed and mandated that persons who practice law in the territory must be called to the bar.
CoI looking into breaches & breaching laws - Hon Wheatley
According to the Deputy Premier, with the Commission of Inquiry looking into breaches of the laws in the VI, he said ironically the three lawyers have allegedly breached the law while investigating breaches.
He said the three lawyers, Bilal M. Rawat, Andrew King and Rhea Harrikissoon are doing legal work without being called to the Bar.
It should be noted after the matter was raised publicly about the CoI lawyers being in breach of VI laws, the three UK lawyers then made an application to be admitted to the VI Bar.
'When you breach that law, it is a criminal offence," Hon Wheatley reminded.
The Deputy Premier said there was no march and no one was outraged about that fact and that his conscience cannot allow him not to bring it up.
"It doesn't matter you come from the United Kingdon, Guyana, Australia... you should respect the laws of the Virgin Islands and if you do not respect those laws it shows a fundamental lack of respect for this country."
Hon Wheatley questioned why there is no outrage over the lawyers potentially breaching the territory's laws and said what the speaker did is not a criminal offence as compared to the three CoI lawyers.
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30 Responses to “Motion on Speaker's court fees is about conscience- Dr the Hon Wheatley”
I agree with you. But then again if we are following the law, and the three lawyers breach the law, then it`s up to the AG to go after them. Law is law. Now the Court pass judgment and these same people still talking about the COI in the same breath as judge Jack's ruling.
Is this what we should be looking for when the COI gives their judgement? will we then be breaching the territory's laws?
Last year in a middle of a pandemic you keep raising fees in almost everything.
THE FLY … EVERYONE OF YOU HAVE SLAPPED, SPAT ON, KICKED AND STUCK YOUR MIDDLE FINGER UP AT THE PEOPLE THAT GIVE YOU GUYS A JOB. BUT ITS OK, WE THE PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER TO DISMISS YOU GUYS COME ELECTION. THE TRUE POWER IS IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE AND IT FEELS GOODDDD.
One term and you done
To many and I you sound very much like a complaining cry baby. Go learn the principles of laws compliance.
some agree with him wholeheartedly about his concerns about the standards of the house
some one should remind the current opposition leader he sat among the national democratic party for eight years
Some will remember the house of assembly approving eight million dollars for the sewage project at east end
The 8 million dollar although approved by the house of assembly for a sewage project went to the pier park project
The house of assembly was never consulted or the house of assembly did not approve the reallocation of the funds from east end sewage project to pier park
The member have never addressed the deceitfulness of his political party to this day and he is now the head of that NDP
Honestly Speaking
payment of one hundred twenty two thousand dollars from tax money is far less than the 40 million of tax dollars still unaccounted for under Penn's political friends
to use that 8 million outside of what was authorized by HOA needed to be brought back to the house of assembly for approval
my point is
members should not stand in house of assembly pointing fingers when those they affected with also violate the established regulations of our country
anyone, the people puts in political office should have integrity and stand for right even if they are a member of the same political party
we need to move from the double standards
stop using politics to divide our people
stop using politics to make personal income
keep the faith
Some of them were treating the COI as friends over their own people. At the end of the day the same COI shows it’s lack of respect for the people & laws of the Virgin Islands when it’s too late to do it over.
Sad people we put there to defend our way of life sucking up to colonialist when they are obviously in the wrong.
Showande isn’t going to pretty it up for you all he’s a real VI man.