UK MPs & press turn against Sir Geoffrey for representing VI in CoI
The Conservative Party member and ex-Cabinet minister, Sir Geoffrey, has been slammed for earning monies for legal advice to the VI Government by fellow members of parliament as well as the British press.
Sir Geoffrey defending VI against reputational harm
Premier and Minister of Finance in the Virgin Islands Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) had said his government found it prudent to hire legal help to defend against a CoI that can inflict severe reputational damage on the territory that has largely been managing its own affairs with little assistance from the UK.
The CoI on governance was called by Mr Jaspert who was accused of being antagonistic towards the democratically elected government of the VI, which has been pushing for more self-determination and making moves to ensure locals take up high-level positions in the territory to prepare the territory for the inevitable.
During the CoI hearings, it was revealed that Mr Jaspert felt he was acting within the constitution and cared little that his actions, including public utterances, were offending the elected government.
Premier Fahie revealed to the CoI that Mr Jaspert was reluctant to swear him in as Premier and even shouted at him on one occasion. He implied that Jaspert was also annoyed at him for refusing to be pressured into signing the Loan Guarantee Agreement offered by the UK instead of a loan following the devastating hurricanes of September 2017.
Sir Geoffrey exposes CoI
Meanwhile, Sir Geoffrey, while representing the VI Government during the CoI, appeared to argue that the CoI was only called because Mr Jaspert was at loggerheads with Premier Fahie. He also accused Governors of sitting in Cabinet over the years and doing nothing to tackle problems that have now been highlighted by the CoI.
Additionally, Sir Geoffrey appeared to argue that the Auditor General was also being unlawfully pressured to prepare reports for the CoI.
He is set to cross-examine Governor John J. Rankin, who has said he will need legal representation when facing Sir Geoffrey.
‘No widespread corruption found’- Reports
And because, according to unconfirmed reports, the CoI has not found any widespread corruption in the VI government, the British Press and MPs have now resorted to attacking their own countryman, Sir Geoffrey.
VINO’s confidential sources in the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), who had sight of ‘a draft report’, concluded that there is no widespread corruption but simply some processes that need to be changed.
Sir Geoffrey now facing the heat!
Nevertheless, Sir Geoffrey’s name was negatively splashed over the UK press over the past couple of days, saying that Sir Geoffrey was raking in millions of pounds from outside jobs, including from the VI, which they erroneously labelled as a tax haven.
The VI is one of the most regulated financial services industries in the world and has even introduced a system that allows certain authorities to access information about beneficial owners of financial services.
According to news agencies such as The Sun and Guardian, which have a reputation of running one-sided news articles that could harm the VI’s reputation, Sir Geoffrey allegedly took advantage of lockdown rules to vote remotely as a parliamentarian so he could stay in the VI.
Smear campaign against Sir Geoffrey & VI
According to The Sun, in an article today, November 10, 2021, with the headline 'CORRUPT CLIENT' RAP Sir Geoffrey Cox slammed for siding with ‘those accused of corruption’, it has emerged Sir Geoffrey skipped Parliament to work for a Caribbean government ‘being probed for a slew of crimes’.
The article stated ‘The embattled Tory ex-Cabinet minister is under fire for raking in hundreds of thousands of pounds for legal advice dished out to the British Virgin Islands’.
The Sun also claimed that ‘a senior diplomatic source’ told the news agency: “Cox has spent his time in the Caribbean trying to hinder an investigation systemic corruption, cronyism, jury intimidation and misuse of public funds. It’s shocking he’s chosen to put himself on the side of those accused of corruption.”
According to The Guardian, in an article published today also, with the headline ‘Geoffrey Cox: the main controversies about his second job’, footage has emerged of Cox taking part virtually in hearings in which he represented the VI over allegations of misgovernance and corruption. “He appears to be doing so from his parliamentary office,” The Guardian wrote.
The same article also stated that while Sir Geoffrey is not believed to have broken any rules, government insiders are furious that he has been caught out spending up to 41 hours a month on his second job.
Another UK news agency, ITV News also sought to get public feedback from Britons and appeared to paint the picture that Sir Geoffrey was not properly representing his constituents.
Hypocritical Boris!
And in another case of the ‘pot calling the kettle black’, the beleaguered UK Prime Minister Johnson, who has faced many allegations of ‘sleaze’, including of trying to change the rules to protect one of his party members in breach of the rules, has strongly criticised Sir Geoffrey.
Johnson, who has said colonialism in Africa should never have ended, said part-time MPs lining their pockets with lucrative second jobs at the expense of voters must be punished.
"Those who are not putting the interests of their constituents first, which is all of our duty as MPs, they should face appropriate sanctions and punishment," Johnson said in an apparent strike at Sir Geoffrey.
No rules broken- Sir Geoffrey
Meanwhile, Sir Geoffrey has insisted he's not broken any rules and cleared his work for the [British] Virgin Islands government with Chief Whip Mark S. Spencer.
It should be noted, according to The Guardian, there is in effect no limit on how much outside work MPs can carry out, and it is up to their electors to decide.
“Sir Geoffrey’s view is that it is up to the electors of Torridge and West Devon whether or not they vote for someone who is a senior and distinguished professional in his field and who still practises that profession,” Sir Geoffrey pointed out in a statement.
.png)
.png)
.png)
Follow Us On
12 Responses to “UK MPs & press turn against Sir Geoffrey for representing VI in CoI”
It was very inconvenient for Sir Geoffrey to find holes in Gus’s fairy tale, and he will not be forgiven. Gus had to resort to making wild unsubstantiated statements about ministers being involved in running drugs because of Sir Geoffrey. Very irritating for the UK establishment.
Can Sir Gary still deliver the report Gus so craves.
Accountability is essential for making things right.
MPs are forbidden, under their code of conduct, from using any "public resources" to confer "personal or financial benefit on themselves or anyone else".
If it’s fair and balanced was their such media scrutiny on the commissioner, the scandalous governor?
It’s not fair or balanced.
Seems to me they wanted to frame it as a set of saintly white guys to be looking down on a set of degenerate black guys and make it out to be a undermining of public trust. At times you have to fight fire with fire sir Geoffrey’s accent is half the battle..
In the midst all of it you know who’s trust is being undermined.... it’s the United Kingdom.
Why? Because this inquiry is not based on a need to do right by US in a timely manner when we most needed it years ago... instead it’s done during Covid. it’s hard to believe the lie at this point.
Despite the hindrances of Covid Irma and the COI this government was the better choice which is why the last were voted out.
No COI during the terms of those from the animal farm who sucked up to England and disregarded the people as if they were social elite.
But now we get new people who are serious about empowerment and suddenly there’s obstacles.
There’s obviously racism staring us in the face, a slew of well timed nefarious articles, accusations from the UK press and past Governor of drugs linked to the public service non of it with not a speck of proof.
the seemingly paid keyboard warriors who have disappeared, and a general habit of propaganda in various forms that is far from the truth.
Of who has been connected to drugs factually its the police who are under the UK appointed police chiefs and the Uk appointed governors. Not local politicians. Many of the police aren’t local or raised here either. Why doesn’t the UK media post up their pictures in front of seizures????
Do we want to allow England or any other country to feed their people lies about ‘BVI cartels’, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing? Is that what this country is about? Not at all.
People catch rides with strangers at 1am off the side of the road without incident that’s the type of country this is. No bars on windows no locking doors out of necessity. No high population of hard drug addicts.
If this commission of inquiry solved one problem I wish it were the increased presence of guns and arrests of whoever is importing and selling them. Most of those idiots can’t even order off Amazon let alone import a gun with getting caught. Yet no one is being caught. Meaning they’re probably buying them on island. This is our biggest crisis that threatens our safety and relaxed atmosphere.
I have high expectations about the empowerment of the peoples who call this home after the transatlantic slave trade and the aptly mentioned destruction and stealing that occurred in Africa.
If all sides would genuinely support each other while respecting the minority population of the VI and the protection of its industries financial services included along with other poverty reducing measures this can continue to be a safe paradise for us to live in and UK nationals to vacation.