UK Parliament moves to indemnify VI Governor, Commissioner & CoI Attorneys
In a statement made in the House of Commons in the UK, Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Hon Amanda A. Milling laid in the British House of Commons, a request to indemnify the Governor of the Virgin Islands, along with Sir Gary R. Hickinbottom and the CoI Attorneys from any personal liability they may incur as a result of their engagement in the CoI now taking place in the Territory.
Objection to application to be called before BVI Bar
Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Julian Willock and Deputy Speaker Hon Neville A. Smith (AL) raised in their official capacities, application objections through their Attorneys, Silk Legal against the three Attorneys Bilal M. Rawat, Andrew King, and Rhea Harrikinssoon in breach of sections 15 (10) 18 (1) a,b,c, of the Legal Professional Act, 2015.
The three CoI Lawyers were accused of practicing law in the Virgin Islands (VI) for some five months before filing an application to be called to be the BVI Bar.
Attorney General, Hon Dawn J. Smith has said, “the law is clear,” and that the three lawyers “should be admitted to practice in the VI if they are to perform duties as counsel and solicitors to the CoI established under the Commission of Inquiry Act.”
Are more suits coming?
There is always the possibility that those involved in the British imposed CoI could incur costs if the procedure of the CoI is successfully challenged on a judicial review, thus, the UK Government is laying the foundation to indemnify them if the courts order them to foot the costs for any cases lost.
In so doing, the House of Commons is not being asked to overturn any potential decisions of the court. There is a difference between indemnifying someone against liability and reversing a decision of the court according to the Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) legal team.
In the VI, some residents staged a small protest claiming that the Speaker must pay out of pocket as a British Judge Adrian Jack ordered amidst controversy.
Earlier this month, Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) brought a motion to the Virgin Islands House of Assembly to indemnify the Speaker from payment in his private capacity, for an injunction the Hon Willock discontinued.
See link to the statement by UK Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Hon Amanda A. Milling: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-11-22/hcws407
.png)
Follow Us On
34 Responses to “UK Parliament moves to indemnify VI Governor, Commissioner & CoI Attorneys”
But Gus wants him to make such a finding - even if it will be overturned on an application for judicial review.
The Commissioner, who is now presumably looking for his next appointment, knows that such an appointment won’t come unless he makes the findings that Gus wants. Hence the need to protect himself with an indemnity.
Mitch, Marlon and Cindy stop making a fool of yourselves.
The HOA members already have this so we can't sue them.
If as rumors say that the findings require a trial or removes members from power then the COI members need to covered that they can't be sued doing their job.
Any one who things everything is great should go and listen to the 55 hearings from the COI. The BVI does not come up smelling of roses or bougainvillea. It sounds and smells like Road Town sewage.
What good for the goose good for the gander. Its equality , fairness which is justifiable.