Confusion over who invited Margaret E. Hodge to VI
According to the UK’s Foreign Office, Baroness Hodge is being sent to the VI with one mission: to find out why proposals designed to fight financial crime are so slow.
However, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has said he was the one to invite Baroness Hodge to the Territory.
Premier Wheatley met with Minister for the Overseas Territories, Hon Stephen J. Doughty and other UK Government officials, as part of the ongoing dialogue between the VI and the UK on governance reform and other bilateral issues on July 14 and 15, 2025.
The Premier also participated in the UK-Overseas Territories Illicit Finance Dialogue. That meeting was attended by Baroness Hodge.
OTs including the VI missed new register deadline
UK news outlet The Guardian reported on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in an article 'Anti-corruption champion sent to UK offshore haven amid secrecy concerns', that several UK semi-autonomous Overseas Territories (OT) missed a deadline to implement new registers of corporate ownership last month.
This report was published the day after Premier Wheatley wrapped up his engagements in the UK.
“While territories such as Anguilla and Bermuda are understood to be on the verge of complying, Foreign Office ministers are running out of patience with the BVI’s slow progress,” the Guardian’s article reads.
The article added that Hon Doughty said he would send the veteran anti-corruption campaigner Lady Hodge to the islands on a “fact-finding” mission.
It quotes Hon Doughty as saying, “This government is committed to tackling illicit finance and working with our overseas territories is crucial to addressing this issue in the UK and overseas.”
Hon Doughty added that some OTs are making progress towards transparent, accessible registers of company ownership; however, it was made clear that rapid, consistent progress needs to be seen across the board.
“As an immediate next step, I have asked Baroness Hodge to undertake a fact-finding visit to the British Virgin Islands and report back to me. I will consider further steps carefully in light of the findings,” Hon Doughty said.
Premier Wheatley said he was “pleased” to invite Baroness Hodge
However, Premier Wheatley, in a statement following his visit to the UK, said he invited Baroness Hodge to visit the Virgin Islands, where she can meet members of the financial services industry, engage with regulatory authorities, and experience first-hand the spirit of the VI community.
He reiterated this during a press conference on Monday, July 21, 2025, “I was very pleased to extend an invitation to her to visit the Virgin Islands so that she can learn more about how our authorities tackle illicit finance as a well-regulated jurisdiction,” adding further, “She graciously accepted, and we look forward to welcoming her here in due course.”
Gov’t taking its time to avoid mistakes
As it relates to legitimate interest access, the Premier said he informed the UK that the VI is committed to launching the Virtual Integrated Registry and Regulatory General Information Network (VIRRGIN) by early 2026.
The VIRRGIN platform will replace or upgrade the current BOSS platform being used for beneficial ownership transparency.
Dr Wheatley admitted during the question and answer segment that the Virgin Islands has been under pressure to get that regime in place earlier.
“We want to ensure that when persons access our register on a legitimate access basis, that the information is there, that we’ve gone through our checks and balances, that we’ve done user testing and that persons who qualify for exemptions that they have the opportunity to apply for those exemptions and that we are able to migrate the data and populate the platform,” the Premier defended.
These, he said, are the reasons why the government is taking its time to avoid those mistakes.
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18 Responses to “Confusion over who invited Margaret E. Hodge to VI”
It is entirely plausible that the Premier extended an invitation to Baroness Hodge during his meeting with her and Minister Doughty. As the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Minister Doughty would then have to formally sanction her travel. In approving the visit—likely in response to the Premier's invitation—he would naturally establish official terms of reference, framing it as a "fact-finding mission."
In this scenario, both sides are correct. The Premier initiated the visit, and the Minister gave it an official mandate. The argument is over semantics, not substance.
That is why we earn the big bucks. No one will ever get that info.
Local people don't get to see reports or accounts.
It is meant to be that way. Always.
Hiding place for crooks.
Poster boy. Our greatest criminal still proudly on walls of our House of Disrepute.