Tuesday, December 8 – The Attorney General’s Chambers is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to the professional development of its staff.
Two senior attorneys are the latest beneficiaries of this commitment and they were allowed an opportunity to participate in international legal programmes.
Solicitor General, Mrs. Jo-Ann Williams-Roberts, attended a programme in the United Kingdom (UK) designed for practical familiarisation by legal professions and related administrators with the civil aspects of the administration of justice in the UK. The two-week programme, Access to Civil Justice, enjoyed international participation.
Upon her return, the solicitor general reported on the many benefits of the intensive programme. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the new Supreme Court complex in London. The solicitor general, a graduate of the University of the West Indies, is a member of a committee tasked with the implementation of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ Halls of Justice project.
Another attorney to benefit from recent international exposure was Senior Crown Counsel, Ms. Vareen Vanterpool. Following an invitation from the UK to the Virgin Islands, Ms. Vanterpool was selected to be part of the UK delegation to the Third Session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which was held in Qatar last month.
The Cayman Islands also participated with the UK delegation. The invitation followed on the heels of a United Kingdom initiated legislative audit on the status of the anti-corruption regime in all its Overseas Territories. The Government of the Virgin Islands recently agreed to be included in this legislative audit.
Attorney General Honourable Kathleen Quartey said, “The concern over anti-corruption reverberates globally and the recent week-long United Nations conference in Qatar only served to emphasise that. There is talk of even a formal peer review mechanism for country compliance.”
The Virgin Islands has had extended to it the United Nations Convention Against Corruption with some elements of the Organization for Economic Development’s (OECD) Convention against Bribery already incorporated in its domestic legislation.
The Attorney General further stated, “It is important for the Virgin Islands to be informed regarding other developments of international legal significance and not just the financial services; therefore the chambers would continue to endeavour to train and expose its attorneys to a wide range of these matters.”
The Attorney General’s Chambers serves as the legal advisor to the Government of the Virgin Islands, its agencies and institutions and it also provides legal representation for the Crown in civil matters. The Attorney General’s Chambers is also the arm of government responsible for drafting legislation based on the policy decisions of the administration.
British Virgin Islands News