Hashtag: #BritishOverseasTerritories
Falkland To Vote On Overseas Territory Status
Next month Falkland Islanders will vote in a referendum on whether they wish to retain their status as a British Overseas Territory. The 4,700 sq mile archipelago, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, is home to just under 3,000 people. The Falkland Islands Government has released the final wording of the question that will be voted on, which follows... Read more of this article
Michael Misick Released From Prison In Brazil
The former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Michael Misick was released from prison in Brazil today [Feb 8] after the Brazilian Supreme Court has granted him bail. He was arrested in December 2012 at the airport in Rio on a provisional arrest warrant. He was wanted in connection with the findings the 2008-2009 Commission of Inquiry, which alleged... Read more of this article
Bermuda Elected New Chairman Of UKOTA
The Cabinet Office announced today that at the Annual General Meeting of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association [UKOTA] in London last Thursday [Jan 31] Bermuda – through its UK representative and London Office Director Kimberley Durrant – was elected to the role of Chairman of UKOTA. This is the first time Bermuda has held this position... Read more of this article
Turks & Caicos Lodges Extradition Request
The Turks and Caicos Islands lodged a formal request for Michael Misick’s extradition with the Brazilian government yesterday [Jan 29]. Misick, the former Premier of the Turks and Caicos, is imprisoned in Brazil after being arrested on 7 December 2012. He left the Turks and Caicos in March 2012 after Interpol issued an arrest warrant for him in... Read more of this article
SIPT & Sandals Resorts Reach $12M Agreement
Special prosecutors in the Turks & Caicos Islands said Sandals Resorts will pay $12 million as part of a probe into corruption, with the agreement involving no admission of liability. A statement from the Turks and Caicos Governor’s office said: “The Special Investigation Prosecution Team (SIPT) and the Turks and Caicos Islands Government... Read more of this article
Michael Misick’s Family Appeal To TCI Islanders
Family members of the now-jailed former Turks and Caicos Premier Michael Misick have appealed for “God fearing Turks and Caicos Islanders to speak out against this abuse,” the TCI Sun reports. The 46-year-old is being held in a maximum security jail in Brazil after being arrested there on 7 December 2012 following an Interpol red notice... Read more of this article
Misick: ‘My Human Rights Are Being Violated’
In a hand-written 16-page letter [PDF] from a maximum security prison cell in Brazil, former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Michael Misick says his human rights are being violated. The Turks and Caicos Sun reports that Mr Misick said he has temporary political asylum and is therefore being detained in violation of his human rights. He has called... Read more of this article
Timeline For Misick Extradition Still Unknown
According to the Turks & Caicos media, the timeline for Michael Misick’s extradition from Brazil is still unknown. Mr Misick — the former TCI Premier — was arrested over two weeks ago at the Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro. Following allegations of widespread corruption in 2009, the UK imposed direct rule on the Turks and... Read more of this article
100+ American Protesters Descend On Cayman
On 13 December 2012, over 100 Americans descended on the Cayman Islands to protest their tax policies and demand that American corporations pay their “fair share of taxes.” They held signs saying “Bring our tax dollars home” and “We want our money back” and sang a parody song to Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” with the... Read more of this article
UK Minister Congratulates Premier Cannonier
Following Bermuda’s General Election on 17 December, Mark Simmonds MP, Minister for the Overseas Territories has made the following statement: “I welcome the appointment of Premier Craig Cannonier, JP, MP, leader of One Bermuda Alliance. Bermuda is the oldest and most populous Overseas Territory with strong constitutional connections to the UK,... Read more of this article
Cayman: Bush Ousted, New Premier Takes Over
[Updated - Juliana O’Connor Connolly has become the first female Premier of the Cayman Islands] A week after he was arrested on suspicion of corruption, Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush was ousted yesterday [Dec 18] in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence filed by Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin. Legislators from the governing party and opposition... Read more of this article
Cayman Premier ‘It’s A Political Witch Hunt’
Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush says he will not resign despite his arrest on suspicion of corruption, which he called a political witch hunt lead by a “petty and jealous” Governor. In a formal statement issued through his office, Mr Bush said: “I have done nothing wrong and I shall not be resigning as Premier. I also wish to assure... Read more of this article
