The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms. Tiffany Scatliffe, has issued a stark warning to the Standing Finance Committee regarding the critical challenges her office faces due to inadequate human and financial resources.
Speaking at the 2024 Standing Finance Committee deliberations Scatliffe highlighted the long-standing resource shortages, which have persisted for over seven years, and the potential consequences for the Virgin Islands’ international reputation and compliance with global financial regulations.
Key Concerns Raised
Ms. Scatliffe emphasized that the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) had flagged her office’s resource deficiencies as a serious concern. Failure to address these issues, she warned, could result in the Virgin Islands being grey-listed or black-listed, a move that would severely damage the Territory’s standing in global finance.
She said the purpose of FATF, CFATF, and other related bodies is to protect global finance by combating threats such as money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, and illicit finance, yet the DPP’s office roles in these efforts are not fully valued.
The DPP reported nine vacant legal posts, ranging from Principal Crown Counsel to Paralegal posts. She said administrative staffing is near full capacity, with one post awaiting rotation by the Department of Human Resources. However, the legal staffing gaps have left the office struggling to manage its workload effectively.
Ms. Scatliffe highlighted the substantial workload her office handles, including more than 150 prosecution files annually, alongside review files from investigative law enforcement agencies and government departments. She noted that the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (COI) has further increased the office’s workload, compounding the strain on existing resources.
The DPP stressed the importance of addressing these deficiencies to maintain the Virgin Islands’ international reputation as a safe investment and tourism destination.
She said the government must show that the Virgin Islands is not a threat to global finance, is not corrupt, and is a suitable destination for investment and tourism. Ms. Scatliffe stated that fully resourcing the Office of the DPP and modernizing the criminal legislative suite are essential steps toward achieving this goal.
The DPP urged the Committee to prioritize the office’s resource needs, noting that these measures are critical to the Mutual Evaluation Process (MER) and to demonstrate the territory’s commitment to global financial integrity.
As her seventh appearance before the Standing Finance Committee, she said the same priority concerns are being brought forward to be addressed, to no avail. Ms. Scatliffe said it’s time to do what is essential for the Virgin Islands.