WILL THE LATEST SCANDAL FINISH OFF ANGUILLA'S FRAGILE OFFSHORE REGIME, ALREADY MORIBUND DUE TO THE COLLAPSE OF LOCAL BANKS ?

The unfolding scandal we are detailing, in the British Overseas Territory of ANGUILLA, implicating a foreign attorney-fraudster, two corrupt financial services companies, a negligent government regulator, and the Office of the Governor, for not attending to the problem once notified, comes on top of the territory's indigenous bank scandal. In that case the two principal local banks folded, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to foreign depositors, whilst the local Anguilla government protected all the local depositors.

Twelve years later, the foreign depositors, many of whom were business people from Saint Martin, have not received their money, whilst the courts at the appellate and Privy Council split legal hairs, discussing arcane issues of law that merely delay a resolution for years and years.

Our present investigation into corruption, misfeasance and malfeasance, at both the public and private level, if not properly resolved to the satisfaction of the victim, threatens to go on and on, and will most likely eventually sour all potential foreign interests on Anguilla, causing them to steer clear of the territory altogether. It is in the best interests of Government to finally pay attention to the matter, lest the continuing publicity completely torpedo Anguilla as an offshore financial center.