‘FS involvement in TPPL a conflict of interest’ - Hon Andrew A. Fahie
![“I thought that was irresponsible of the Minister and even the Premier to have this happening because the first thing you should establish is if your Financial Secretary (Mr Neil M. Smith, left) is on a company, a private company that [has] a board in which the same Financial Secretary is on, who formed it in which the same board have to report to the Financial Secretary, in which the Financial Secretary has to report to the Minister (for Communication and Works) and mainly the Minister of Finance (Premier Dr the Honourable D. Orlando Smith) they should have found out first of all what capacity is he there in,” said Hon. Fahie. Photo: VINO/FIle](https://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/cache/images/800x_8_800x_t_trio.jpg)
This time the ‘hullabaloo’ is over the post of Financial Secretary (FS) held by Mr Neil M. Smith. It took the usual fortitude of senior Opposition Member Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) to ask certain questions to the Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) as it relates to the current Cruise Pier Project which brought to fore the formation of a new company Tortola Pier Park Limited (TPPL).
This news site is awaiting a promised return call from the office of Financial Secretary Mr Neil M. Smith.
Who is lying?
In some sections Director of Ports Authority Mr Claude O. Skelton- Cline is recorded as saying that the Financial Secretary is serving TPPL in a private capacity while the Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool is on record saying otherwise.
“This is a very alarming situation to say the least, that’s the Financial Secretary situation. In addition the Minister has confirmed that they have already given the privately owned company a fifty-year lease. When would the public know about this?” asked Hon Fahie yesterday afternoon November 12, 2014 in an interview with this news site.
He said the Ports Authority has "given a company that they formed a fifty-year lease and the company, is privately owned, has on it the Financial Secretary and other public servants who are also ex-officio members of the social security board and other aspects and they are in charge of this project,” said Hon Fahie. “This is of great concern."
HOA good ground to ‘bell the cat’
According to Hon Fahie, it was only through questions in the House of Assembly and the Public Accounts Committee that these things have been brought to the public’s knowledge. The Government had not willingly come forward on these things.
“So it’s only through continuous looking into these matters that you are finding certain things so I don’t know what else is there because I was stunned to have heard the answer from the minister first of all about the company formed by the Ports, second of all to hear that public servants especially the post of Financial Secretary is part of the company knowing the fiduciary responsibility of the post that the person carries," said Hon Fahie.
Social Security Board $5ml investment
He said that when one analyses it seems like the Social Security Board was strong armed to invest $5ml without the knowledge of the people of this Territory. He said it seems to him that the government could not get the loan from Social Security so rather than a loan they turned it into making it seem as if it is an investment into the project.
“This has brought a lot of things into question and it is not a simple matter... I want to state clearly that I don’t have anything personal against anyone but this project needs a complete review before it goes any further and anything else is found out because the people of this country are going be saddled with a humongous multi-million dollar bill if some of the [issues] in this project are not addressed,” said Hon Fahie.
Weave continues to be entangled
He said it is clear that the weave continues to be entangled more and more with the lack of prudent and transparent conduct regarding the handling of this project with the hope of doing continuous marketing by the government and entities in the Ports to make it seem that the concerns being raised are nothing.
He said that the Financial Secretary has a fiduciary responsibility not only to the Minister of Finance but to the Territory. The Financial Secretary by post, no matter who the person is, is an ex officio member of the Social Security Board. He is an ex officio member of the BVI Ports Authority Board and he is also the Financial Secretary.
According to Hon Fahie, when the BVI Ports Authority Board establishes or forms a Limited Company, in essence a private company, with its own powers it cannot be directed by anyone, can be sued and can sue. "And one of the directors on the board is the Financial Secretary."
“Now when the Minister was asked what capacity is the individual on this new company what is he in, in this new company, he stated that he cannot answer that,” said Hon Fahie.
On the river, in the bank
He further said, “I thought that was irresponsible of the Minister and even the Premier to have this happening because the first thing you should establish is if your Financial Secretary is on a company, a private company that a board in which the same Financial Secretary is on, who formed it in which the same board has to report to the Financial Secretary, in which the Financial Secretary has to report to the Minister (for Communications and Works) and mainly the Minister of Finance (Premier Dr the Honourable D. Orlando Smith) they should have found out first of all what capacity is he there in.”
“The Minister for Communications and Works could not answer that, according to Hon Fahie. He said that subsequent to that an official from the Ports is saying he is there in his private capacity, and another entity has stated that. I have seen lately in the media that he is there as the Financial Secretary,” said Hon Fahie.
“So which is it, sounds like ‘on the river in the bank’. But the larger question here is who is watching who? Who is there to bring accountability? In addition the Financial Secretary by post, I want to insert, this has nothing to do with a personal attack on a Financial Secretary, it has to do with the actions of the government in regards to this project that is continuing to come into question and they want to continue to ignore them because the Financial Secretary is also a part and over the Internal Audit Unit of the Government who will also have to be looking at this project at some time,” said Hon Fahie.
“So how can any entity be reporting to itself and also discipline itself and also guiding itself after reporting to itself? That’s a conflict,” he further pointed out.
"In the payroll tax in the legislation, in the legislation that governs payroll, a director in any limited company like the one that the Ports formed is deemed to be paid. The question here now raised again, isn’t this now another conflict of interest because the Financial Secretary whether by post or by private is a member of this new company, a director, therefore he has to be paid, that’s a conflict in itself,” said Hon Fahie.
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34 Responses to “ ‘FS involvement in TPPL a conflict of interest’ - Hon Andrew A. Fahie”
All these necktie b...its need locking up.
Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival. How well has our government assisted BVIslanders? Lets take food, clothing, shelter and our safety and assess this present and past government. No progress! No low income housing whereby BVIslanders can rent to own..etc, food prices are out of control and the clothing sector are dominated by a selected few. Regarding safety...we as a nation feel unsafe..corrupt cops and a justice system that needs to be consistent with their decisions. Yet, they want us as a nation to have confidence in them and to assist them as much as possible..what irony!
As a nation, where do we turn? Has it ever dawn on our leaders to at least save some of the funds that they so easily waste and try to create a system whereby creative BVIslanders can borrow from the government to do business with the hope of repaying such funds? After all how else can a BVIslander start a business in this territory? Borrow money from the bank?...lol and lol... ask the millionaires and the billionaires for assistance? lol...lol.
Indeed, our nation has become a playground for the wealthy and its not hard to figure out if you look around. It is high time as BVIslanders we seek change. For present and future generations. We need to give young minds a chance to rule (if you take a look at the Bible: Joash was 7yrs old when he became King). Again, it is about "wisdom" as a leader, not book sense.
This election we should vote for individuals with wisdom and not for a party and have them come together and work for the better of this blessed nation.
I endorse only one minister "Andrew Fahie"...we can rebuild our nation from there.
The fox is in the hen house.
What a riddle.