'We must tell the truth' about Hon Lorna G. Smith OBE- Premier Wheatley
“I’m blessed to have a strong team supporting the building of this sustainable nation. One of the persons on the team, Madam Speaker, is Hon Lorna Smith, who is overseeing the Financial Services Ministry and Trade,” Premier Wheatley said during the Continuation of the Twelfth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fifth House of Assembly on December 18, 2025.
The Premier openly saluted and commended Hon Smith, who he said was well-deserving of the award she received for her service as a pioneer in Virgin Islands (VI) diplomacy.
Some tried to bury her with Bank of Asia failure
Premier Wheatley said Hon Smith is arguably one of the “most experienced” when it comes to financial services, adding, “It’s the truth, and we must tell the truth”.
He said some tried to use the situation with the failure of the Bank of Asia to bury Hon Smith but they were wrong.
“They thought she was finished with this Bank of Asia story, Madam Speaker, and I would say that they used their proxies to go online and blog and try to damage her credibility and her reputation. I’m here to say those persons have failed.”
Premier Wheatley reiterated that the Bank of Asia matter is being dealt with responsibly, and when it is done, it will be a success story for the VI.
“As we watch the liquidation unfold and see consideration for a buyer and potential rectification of the situation with the creditors, including the Government of the Virgin Islands, we will see that that situation has been handled in a responsbile way and the government made a great decision to have the Virgin Islands Deposit Insurance Corporation set up for a situation such as the Bank of Asia.”
Hon Smith is the best for the job
Premier Wheatley continued giving Hon Smith her flowers, saying that she is the best person to provide oversight and supervision in this industry among the political class.
“With Hon Smith’s leadership, we have been able to avoid a situation where we could have had fully public registers imposed on us in 2023.”
He said the two of them travelled to London to negotiate on behalf of the financial services industry of the Virgin Islands.
“[We were able to] avoid the catastrophic impact that would have resulted with fully open registers, which were not a global standard and would have damaged our industry.”
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19 Responses to “'We must tell the truth' about Hon Lorna G. Smith OBE- Premier Wheatley ”
What is far more troubling is the absence of accountability elsewhere. Why are Hon. Skelton, Hon. Fraser, and others not held to account for the failure of the NDP to coalesce and present itself as a viable government? Their actions and egos bear far greater responsibility for that outcome than Hon. Smith ever could. And yet, the criticism is disproportionately directed at her.
Well because this is a case where, excellence and achievement provokes resentment rather than respect. The success of the Vanterpools, built through discipline, investment, and confidence in this Territory, has at times been met with envy rather than celebration. That is a mistake. When our own people succeed—when they demonstrate that they can match and surpass those who have come here and prospered—we should take pride, not offence.
I was initially skeptical of Hon. Smith wondering if she had the ability to empathize with the populance. But I as wrong , and she has shown herself to be effective, focused, and capable of delivering outcomes. Indeed, I would welcome seeing her entrusted with a broader mandate—one that drives digitisation, efficiency, and modernisation across all ministries of government.