Britain’s anti-corruption czar should “educate” herself about the Virgin Islands during her upcoming visit next month, according to Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley.
His comment came amid mounting tension between the VI and the United Kingdom regarding financial transparency.
UK Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty announced last month that he had asked UK Anti-Corruption Champion Baroness Margaret Hodge to visit the VI on a “fact-finding mission” and report back to him — but Mr. Wheatley has insisted that he was the one who invited her to come.
During a Monday press conference, Mr. Wheatley doubled down as he revealed that Lady Hodge’s visit is scheduled for the end of next month.
“The primary purpose of her coming here is so that she can learn; so that she can be educated, in my view, in terms of what we are doing to fight against illicit finance,” he said.
Lady Hodge, a veteran member of the ruling British Labour Party, has often expressed concern about the levels of financial transparency in the territory.
Before being appointed to the anti-corruption role last December, she repeatedly accused the VI of “dragging its feet” on expanding access to its company register.
She and several UK members of parliament have demanded that the VI grant full public access to the register despite the VI government’s insistence on restricting access to people deemed to have a “legitimate interest” in viewing it.
The criticism ramped up in recent weeks after the VI missed its June target for launching the new register — which the premier now says will come early next year.
‘The same rules’
On Monday, Mr. Wheatley reiterated his longstanding response to such criticisms.
“We have the same rules — we don’t want any illicit activity to be taking place in the world,” he said. “And certainly we don’t want the Virgin Islands to be a haven for any illicit activity. She needs to come and learn all of the systems that we are putting in place and all of the good work that we are doing in that regard.”
The government of the VI, where 355,024 companies were incorporated as of June 30, has long insisted that it needs to protect owners’ privacy.
But transparency campaigners say that publishing their names will help stop financial crime.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has repeatedly insisted that he wants to combat what he described as “dirty money” activities in Britain and its crown dependencies and overseas territories since the Labour Party came to power in July 2024.
Lady Hodge did not respond to requests for comment.
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