PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, 06 December 2022: The TCI and UK Governments recently commissioned a joint independent review of the management of Crown Land in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Members of the public and a wide range of stakeholders were consulted by Attorney at law Mr R Donhue Gardiner, TCI Attorney with experience in land law and policy development in TCI, and Professor Simon Cooper PhD, an expert in Caribbean land law and registration systems.

The final report, published on 1^st December 2022 contains 146 joint recommendations, to improve the management of this resource and maximise its use for the benefit of all the people of TCI.  The recommendations cover a wide range of areas, including future allocations of crown land, existing conditional purchase leases and unauthorised occupation. It also covers improvements to the processes surrounding crown land in order to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and improve fairness of the distribution of land rights, and details proposed amendments to the Crown Land Ordinance.

Premier Misick and Lord Goldsmith, as UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, have agreed to accept the report’s recommendations, subject to affordability, phasing and legal considerations.

The Premier said “Our two countries share a commitment to a peaceful, prosperous, open, and cooperative access to crown land, while ensuring that it remains a sustainable and resilient resource for generations to come.  I welcome the joint review final report as it remains my governments vision to seek equitable access for the people of these islands.”

Lord Goldsmith said “I welcome this joint review and it’s set of practical and well-considered recommendations to improve the utility of crown land in TCI and generate a more efficient and transparent process. I applaud the Premier for raising his concern with the UK on behalf of TCI. I hope our partnership on this project, drawing on professional expertise, paves the way for future collaboration and is a symbol of our ongoing commitment to work in partnership with the TCI Government. The TCI Government has our full support as they move ahead to implementation and delivery of these reforms.”

Please click here to view the report.

BEGINS

PRESS RELEASE

HON. ATTORNEY GENERAL RHONDALEE BRAITHWAITE-KNOWLES ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF KHALILA ASTWOOD-TATEM AS THE NEW DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL

On Monday 18th January 2021, in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands, Hon. Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles OBE QC announced the appointment of Mrs. Khalila Astwood-Tatem as only the second local person to be appointed as Deputy Attorney General for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mrs. Khalila Astwood-Tatem, a Grand Turk native, practiced for many years in the Bahamas, first as an Associate and then as a Partner at Evans & Co., before returning home to the Turks and Caicos Islands Attorney General’s Chambers where she became Senior Crown Counsel and then Principal Crown Counsel with the lead on commercial and litigation matters. Prior to this appointment Mrs. Astwood-Tatem was head of the International Division where she led on international initiatives, such as the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and Exchange of information for Tax Purposes, compliance with international obligations and conventions, responding to international requests and advising on various issues which touch and concern international law and international relations.

Mrs. Astwood-Tatem has 20 years of legal experience, during which time she strengthened her expertise in commercial law including Development Agreements, land acquisition, public-private partnerships, company law, civil litigation, industrial relations and employment law, probate and intestacy, real property and conveyancing, personal injuries, maritime law, combatting money laundering, the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons, extradition and mutual legal assistance.

She is admitted to practice in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jamaica and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

As the new Deputy Attorney General, Mrs. Khalila Astwood-Tatem is responsible to the Attorney General for the management of the legal and administrative work flow within the Attorney General’s Chambers.

In accepting the appointment, Mrs. Astwood-Tatem said; “I am thankful for this opportunity to serve in this new role within the Attorney General’s Chambers. I look forward to strengthening the delivery of service within the Chambers, my continued representation of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands and engagement with others on its behalf.”

In announcing the appointment of the new Deputy Attorney General, the Hon. Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE QC said; “over the last few years we have made great progress in developing the professional staff, legal resources and better service delivery standards in the provision of quality legal work. The professional development of the Chambers continues to improve, along with a solid reputation of solutions oriented responsiveness to the legal needs of the public sector. As the Chambers continues to evolve, the skills of the professional staff in particular will be critical in managing our operational effectiveness. Mrs. Astwood-Tatem’s enviable experience and expertise gained through a proven track record of quality legal expertise in practice, leadership, team building, financial and relationship management are well suited to the challenges of her new responsibilities. As a fellow senior Turks and Caicos Islander attorney, I am very pleased with Mrs. Astwood-Tatem’s well deserved appointment and look forward to working with her in the management of the legal affairs of the Government.”

HE the Deputy Governor Anya Williams welcomed the appointment; “On behalf of the public service of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I extend congratulations and best wishes to Mrs. Khalila Astwood-Tatem on her well-deserved appointment to post of Deputy Attorney General within the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Having had the opportunity to work with Khalila over the years, I can attest to her hard work, dedication and sound legal advice and am confident in her ability to assist the Attorney General Honourable Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles and her team within the Attorney Generals Chambers in delivering high quality legal advice to the government and people of the Turks and Caicos Islands and in upholding the rule of law.”

ENDS

PRESS RELEASE

TCIG HOSTS ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING WEBINAR SERIES

Pursuant to TCIG efforts to conduct continuous training in the areas of anti-money laundering, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in collaboration with the Attorney General's Chambers and the Financial Crimes Unit hosted the first of its kind, the “Anti-Money Laundering Webinar Series” on November 18th, November 25th and December 2nd. The training provided participants with an understanding of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations and what they mean for the TCI, the relevant anti-money laundering legislation in the TCI, investigative tools and Anti-Money laundering mechanisms. Topics included “The Fundamentals of Money Laundering”, “Compliance with the International Standards”, “TCI Anti- Money Laundering Framework”, “The Investigator’s Role” as well as Asset Recovery.

The webinar series started off with opening remarks from the Honorable Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, OBE, QC and Mr. Eugene Otuonye QC, Director of Public Prosecutions. Presentations were made by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and Chair of the Anti-Money Laundering Unit in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Angela Brooks, ASP Kenville Charles, Head of the Financial Crime Unit, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Mrs. Shayone Handfield –Gardiner, Senior Crown Counsel, International Division, Attorney’s General’s Chambers as well as public prosecutors Ms. Mickia Mills and Mrs. Kellee-Gai Smith.

Close to fifty participants attended on each occasion. These participants were from various agencies, to include the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, the Customs Department, Immigration Department and the Integrity Commission.

This collaborative effort demonstrates the active steps taken by the TCIG to provide capacity- building to the relevant Law Enforcement Agencies and to continually enhance the systems in place to combat the scourge of money-laundering. The series will continue in 2021 and will expose more law enforcement officers to anti-money laundering training.