BREAKING NEWS: Lawyers for PS Willock demand full retraction and apology for racist and malicious article in local tabloid
Julian Willock, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications and Works.
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – In a letter obtained by Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) addressed to Russell Harrigan, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the BVI Beacon and Mason Marcus, Business Editor, lawyers for the Ministry of Communications and Works Permanent Secretary Julian Willock are demanding a full retraction and apology, and payment of compensation for damage to Mr. Willock’s good character and reputation, following an article written in the local tabloid on 22 July, 2010, or face legal proceedings.
The seven-page detailed letter from the law firm of Farara Kerins refuted some nine allegations, labelled as ridiculous, false, malicious, politically motivated, outrageous and deliberate, against the well respected Permanent Secretary.
The BVI Beacon accused the Permanent Secretary of having persons work in the Virgin Islands for VINO, allegedly without work permits, even when the Labour Department placed in writing before the defamatory article was published, that all persons who worked for the online news agency had work permits and “are not in contravention with the labour laws and the labour administration”.
In the letter to Harrigan and Marcus, the lawyers said; “while a newspaper in a democratic society has the right to comment on matters of public interest, it must do so fairly and without malice. However, the article goes well beyond these parameters in our view, ……whereby in several instances you offered your own statements of fact which were plainly false, in some instances you deliberately and calculatedly omitted mentioning certain facts well-known to you which would have cast our client in a significantly more favorable light, and other instances, you failed to include reference to documents in your possession at the time of publishing the article which would have led your readers to come to a significantly different and more favorable conclusion about our client’s conduct”.
The letter written to the local paper also made it clear that in each case, the appropriate work permit was either approved in writing prior to the former employee’s arrival in the Virgin Islands or very shortly thereafter for all potential workers of VINO. The letter further states that the records demonstrated that each of the former employees had obtained an approved work permit prior to the commencement date of their employment.
The letter concluded by advising the local tabloid that should they fail to comply strictly with all of the demands in the letter, “legal proceedings will be instituted against you both and the owners of the BVI Beacon Newspaper”.
Following the 22 July article, Mr. Willock was placed on compulsory leave from his Permanent Secretary post.
Recently in the House of Assembly, Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Julian Fraser RA, called the actions taken by the former Governor of the Virgin Islands David Pearey, “evil” and based on “frivolous grounds printed in a tabloid”.
When contacted by VINO, Mr. Willock said he had no comment as his lawyer’s letter speaks for itself along with the views expressed by Minister Fraser recently in the House.
VINO understands that the local tabloid, the BVI Beacon, has paid compensation for damages and or settled for libel on more than one occasion since it started publishing in the Virgin Islands.
7 Responses to “BREAKING NEWS: Lawyers for PS Willock demand full retraction and apology for racist and malicious article in local tabloid”
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Lawd Willock it look you you will have dey last laugh indeed. look ting in me lil lil Tola. I want to see how tis one will play out mehson
I don’t believe that the article published by the Beacon was racist, rather it is absolutely clear to me that it was politically motivated……..just seeing who is the publisher & CEO of the Beacon says it all. I know Willock is a strong and will fix them good. Who laughs last always laugh best!
If what senator Frazer said that this white Mason Marcus reporter draws catoon about we people as baboons & gorillas then I believe the aticle was racist. I lived in Texas for 5 years and trust me I know the white media….Julian boy keep the pressure on them my youth
Willock boy, hit them hard boy……….don’t let up at allllll.
Willock, why is your headline on VINO so different from the other websites? I think it is a little misleading.
Waste of money LMAO!! This is just to call Beacon’s bluff, the letter is just to scare them into apologising and retracting! The BVI Beacon reported on what the former employees told them and based on the emails provided to them! With regards to the cartoons in the Beacon, that guy has NEVER EVER depicted anyone as Monkeys or Baboons. Mr Fraser is appealing to the illiterate, ignorant and foolish news carriers in the BVI. Most of them who eat up this BS has obviously never read a Beacon.
I read them EVERY WEEK and the cartoon section is always funny!! WE finally have a BVIslander owning the PREMIER paper of the BVI and now that’s an issue? When white people own everything we cry fowl, now locals owning stuff is a problem? WTF?? This is why you NEVER live life to please people! Wrong is WRONG and it’s PRETTY CLEAR from the emails that he did wrong. He should humble himself and move on.
Furthermore, this is NOT the only issue he’s being investigated for. WHen the Isht hit the fan we will see who’s laughing. I WEEP for my people for being so ignorant! You’re telling me that just because Willock is a BVIslander like myself, I should just support his NONSENSE because the person who wrote the article and brought it to light is a WHITE MAN? ARE YOU KIDDING?? This will be our downfall! While the locals pull the race card, once they get their power they WALK ON ALL OF US and who do you see them parlaying and tapping glasses with behind the scenes? Yes, the SAME WHITE MAN!! Go down Cappriccio, Dove, Watering HOle etc. at any given day and you’ll see these brown nosers in action! Talk one thing infront us and another behind our back! In the end, it’s all about power and a dollar! FOOLS!
let dem blogg all dem want mr. willock you will be vedicated from deeds silly small minder people. the truth is on your side brother mek dem pay,…hell yes they are racist I hang out wid one of dem