British Virgin Islands’ Prime Minister Andrew Fahie was arrested on thecharges of drug trafficking and money laundering in US.
Fahie, the elected head of government in the British overseas territory,was detained in Miami after agreeing to give agents posing as drugsmugglers access to British Virgin Islands’ ports in exchange for $700,000(€663,000).
Fahie was arrested by US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials inFlorida, alongside senior BVI port official Oleanvine Maynard.
Andrew Fahie appeared in federal court in Miami on Friday, a day after hewas arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in an elaborate stingoperation that also snared the chief executive of the BVI port authorityand her son.
After the arrest of Fahie, Britain is poised to impose a form of directrule over the British Virgin Islands.
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The UK foreign secretary Liz Truss did not immediately impose direct rulebut said the report showed “clearly that substantial legislative andconstitutional change is required to restore the standards of governancethat the people of the BVI are entitled to”.
The UK is already responsible for defence and foreign policy in the BVI,which is a British overseas territory, but Governor General John Rankin –Queen Elizabeth’s representative on the island – is now expected to takecharge of all BVI domestic policy and budgets.
