DPP Drops Appeal Against Najan Christopher
The Director of Public Prosecutions has withdrawn an appeal against Najan Christopher, who was earlier acquitted in Magistrate's Court of a Breach of Trust charge. The discontinuance, filed May 19, 2026, closes the matter but renews questions about legal costs, alleged politically motivated prosecutions and whether Ms Christopher will be reinstated to her government post.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has filed a notice to discontinue an appeal in the case against former public officer Najan Christopher, effectively ending the Crown’s challenge to a Magistrate’s Court decision that cleared her of a Breach of Trust charge. The discontinuance was filed on May 19, 2026, according to reporting by Virgin Islands News Online.
The charge against Ms Christopher arose after she sent a letter that, it is alleged, was written with the knowledge of her immediate supervisor, the Permanent Secretary. Ms Christopher has maintained that she was performing her official duties. Magistrate’s Court had previously dismissed the charge and stated Ms Christopher had no case to answer.
The initial prosecution and a subsequent appeal had drawn criticism from members of the public and some legal commentators who described the proceedings as politically motivated, in part because of Ms Christopher’s perceived association with former Premier Andrew Fahie and the wave of prosecutions that followed his arrest and a one-man Commission of Inquiry.
The case has also raised concerns about the cost to taxpayers. Reports say more than two million dollars has already been spent on legal fees for two United Kingdom-based counsel, Sandip Patel KC and John Black KC. Those expenditures reportedly do not include additional appeal costs or other related outlays.
Media accounts allege that millions more of public funds were spent on prosecutions and detentions involving a number of prominent local figures, including Lorna Stevens, Hon Myron V. Smith, Julian Willock, Pamphil Prevost, Simon Powers, Marley Sebastian and Claude O. Skeleton-Cline, many of whom were charged following Mr Fahie’s arrest.
Legal experts quoted in media coverage have suggested several of the cases may struggle on appeal because of weak evidence and whistleblower disclosures within local law enforcement. It remains unclear whether Ms Christopher will be reinstated to her government position or whether the Government will provide a public accounting of the costs and decisions surrounding these prosecutions.
The discontinuance closes this particular legal chapter, but the matter is likely to revive public calls for transparency about prosecutorial decision-making and the use of taxpayer funds in high-profile criminal matters in the British Virgin Islands.
Primary source: VINO