Sir Geoffrey Cox, tireless defender of tax haven against the Foreign Office | Geoffroy Cox

Ironically, one of the issues at stake is the fate of the Island’s Integrity in Public Life Act, as well as violations of the BVI MPs Register of Interests Act. The BVI register is closed to the public and is therefore arguably ineffective.

Cox, his baritone voice familiar to Brexit aficionados, was only tireless, often spending eight hours in front of the Commissioner for up to a month at a time. Its main strategy is to try to transform the investigation from a review of corruption and bad governance in the administration of Fahie into a cross-examination of the quasi-colonialist conduct of the now-defunct governor, Gus Jaspert. .

It was the governor who set up the commission in January 2021 with the blessing of the British Foreign Office. Such commissions are rare and only established when the governor determines that there is a problem in an overseas territory.

Sir Gary Hickinbottom, former Justice of the Supreme Court of the Falkland Islands, presided among other distinguished duties.

Hearings focused on auditing, bribery, appointing friends to public office and leasing valuable land for as little as $ 1, not to mention allegations of drug trafficking and granting of citizenship. or “membership” to an alleged rapist.

Hickinbottom suggested that he believes the commission hearings have uncovered problems. “It is clear from the evidence I have seen, to say the least, that governance in BVIs is not all it should be. I will have to determine the state of governance in various areas. But the evidence in some areas is pretty clear. “

Examples of bad governance presented by Jaspert include repeated waivers of tenders, the use of consultants without competition, and transparency in the appointment of people to statutory boards. The terms of a $ 300 million UK government loan guarantee program to help the islands recover from Hurricane Irma also included, along with a Covid recovery fund, a contract to use barges to protect people. islands during the pandemic and, more mundane, the construction of a school wall.

At times, the exchanges turned heated, with a witness accusing Cox of being reckless in his claims.

Fahie was outraged at the allegations Jaspert made at him, saying: “When a person in a senior position goes to the public and throws innuendo like that – being the governor – without proof, without proof, the irreparable damage it causes the character of the person and the territory leaves scars and leaves people wondering if this person who runs the country is a drug dealer, if this person is part of organized crime.

He also accused the British government of corruption in the distribution of contracts during the Covid crisis.

Very little time has been spent discussing the why and how of BVI’s tax haven status, except indirectly through the increasing determination of the BVI government to be constitutionally free from UK demands to publish a beneficial ownership register. actions on the islands. The UK has been on the verge of imposing a public registry.

Cox doesn’t always fly to BVIs, but instead appears on a screen in an office with the background out of focus. His salary is not known, but Fahie told the BVI parliament that the government’s court costs are capped at $ 5million (£ 3.6million) and have so far reached $ 3million. . Sir Geoffrey is formally charged with leading the Government’s Investigation Response Unit.

The commission has nearly completed its evidence-gathering process over 50 different evidence sessions, but Cox wants the former governor to reappear later this month to give further evidence. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the public was not allowed to attend the commission, but could watch almost all of the exchanges live. The UK taxpayer pays the basic cost of the investigation.