British Governor Gordon Wetherell has extended the life of a commission of inquiry set up to investigate allegations of corruption against the Michael Misick administration.

The Governor of this British Overseas Territory has announced that the commission, which was originally scheduled to present its report on November 3, now has until February 2009 to complete its work.

"I have today formally directed the commission to present its preliminary findings to me on or before 16th February 2009," the Governor said in a statement released here on Tuesday.

Contributing factors

The announcement follows the recent passage of Hurricane Ike, which devastated the islands of Grand Turk and South Caicos.

Governor Wetherell said other factors had also impacted on the work of the commission, including the length of time it was taking to "identify and locate individuals and records".

He said the deadline was also impacted by the volume of material submitted to the committee.

"I am satisfied that an extension of up to 15 weeks is justified.

"The important thing is that it (the commission) should be allowed the time necessary to do its job properly.

"This will enhance the credibility of its report and, ultimately, provide the basis to ensure that TCI's reputation is firmly established as a jurisdiction based on the rule of law and on the integrity of all who hold public office," he added.

Allegations of corruption

In July, British MPs urged the Foreign Office to launch an inquiry into the running of the territory after a Commons Foreign Affairs Com-mittee report raised concerns over allegations of corruption and intimidation in the TCI.

The report accused Misick and other government ministers of amassing multimillion-dollar for-tunes since being elected in 2003. The report also accused the govern-ment ministers of illegally enriching themselves by selling government-owned lands to developers.