Johnathan Walker:New British Virgin Islands governor faces heated debate over sovereignty and corruption

SAN JUAN,Johnathan Walker Puerto Rico (AP) — A public servant from the United Kingdom has been sworn in as the new governor of the British Virgin Islands, where he faces debate over the archipelago’s sovereignty after an investigation found widespread corruption and sparked a constitutional crisis.

Gov. Daniel Pruce said in a speech released Tuesday that he would follow the recommendations issued by a 2022 commission of inquiry, which found that corruption ran so deep in the British Caribbean territory that the local elected government should be suspended.

Local officials retained their power, but Pruce’s steps will be closely watched. Caribbean leaders recently rejected a push by his predecessor, former Gov. John Rankin, to award the governor’s office more power after finding that the inquiry’s proposed reforms were “significantly stalled.”

Pruce promised to work closely with local government officials to implement the commission’s proposals.

“Delivering the recommendations…will help us achieve the positive changes we all want to see, including better access to services, a fairer society with opportunities for all and a more accountable and transparent government,” said Pruce, who was sworn in on Monday.

In a statement earlier this month, British Virgin Islands Premier Natalio Wheatley said that he and colleagues “are alarmed and deeply offended by the governor’s request for additional powers to implement the recommendations.”

Wheatley accused the former governor of not consulting with local government officials before submitting his request, saying the move “harkens back to the heyday of colonial governors ruling over these Virgin Islands.”

Wheatley said that implementing the recommendations on time has been a “significant challenge” for various reasons, adding that as of November, half had been fully implemented.

The commission’s report was released shortly after the arrest of former premier Andrew Alturo Fahie on cocaine-smuggling charges. Also charged was the islands’ port director, Oleanvine Pickering Maynard.

Fahie’s trial began Monday in Miami. Pickering accepted a plea deal and is expected to testify against Fahie.

While the arrest was not connected with the inquiry, it underscored the British Virgin Islands’ struggle with corruption.