Brian Ellsworth, Zarrin Ahmed

(Reuters] Activists in British Virgin Islands have protested on Monday against a proposal for the United Kingdom to control the territory. It came just days after BVI premier, Michael A. Smith was sentenced to a year in prison in Miami on drug trafficking charges.

The representative of Queen Elizabeth to the territory, Friday’s report stated that governance issues are so serious that it is necessary for the legislature to be suspended. Instead, the Territory should be effectively managed from London.

The report comes just one day after Andrew Fahie (BVI Premier) and the director of ports for the territory were imprisoned in an operation by Drug Enforcement Administration. This was a serious embarrassment to Britain.

On Monday, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of the Governor John Rankin’s office on Road Town island on Tortola. They chanted slogans and held signs saying “No UK rule.”

“Our message for the United Kingdom and the world is that there won’t be any direct rule on this land,” declared Luce Hodge Smith, who previously worked in government positions and whose page Facebook (NASDAQ) states she has retired.

Amanda Milling (a British Member of Parliament who also serves as Minister of State for Asia & the Middle East), visited the rally to talk about the findings of the inquiry commission’s report.

The report revealed that thousands of dollars in state funds had been spent by ministers and politicians each year without due process. There was also serious dishonesty regarding the sale of public property, and widespread abuse of appointment.

Fahie’s administration was against principles of good governance. Witnesses were afraid to speak out and “the people in the BVI have not been well served in recent years,” said the report. This is independent of Fahie’s arrest.

In the 1600s, Great Britain conquered the British Virgin Islands. They were home to sugar plantations that slaves had brought from Africa.

A territory that is home to around 30,000 residents gained independence from the United Kingdom through 1967’s first elections and creation of the first autonomous government.