‘$3M payment request for piles before approval’ - Vincent V. O’Neal
The PAC is a Select Committee of the House of Assembly with three Members from the Opposition’s side and two from the Government’s side. The PAC is chaired by Leader of the Opposition Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE.
Pay $3M for Piles - Vincent V. O’Neal
In his testimony before the PAC the former Managing Director (MD) Mr. O’Neal said that the then Ports Consultant Claude Skelton-Cline instructed him to pay out three million dollars for piles. Mr. O’Neal told the Committee in responding to a question from Honourable J. Alvin Christopher (R2) that Skelton-Cline’s words to him were “the Minister said to pay for the piles.”
The former MD said he was brought an invoice from Skelton-Cline indicating the specifics to be paid only for the piles.
When Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) asked O’Neal about the Minister meaning the current Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool conveying through Mr. Skelton-Cline to Mr. O’Neal that the Minister wanted the payment of the piles “expedited”, Hon. Fahie further asked the former MD to whom the payment was to have been expedited.
In response, the former MD indicated that he could not recall the name of the company but there was an invoice that was presented to him by then Consultant Skelton-Cline and that the invoice for the piles is a part of the record of the BVIPA and the PAC should subpoena it.
The former MD Mr. O’Neal stated that the invoice amount “was for 3 Million plus dollars.” When asked by Hon. Fahie if the former MD could have remembered the company’s name, Mr. O’Neal stated that “it was not the company that was concerned with the development at the time. It appeared [to me] that it was a manufacturer or broker or somebody who sold piles”.
Mr. O’Neal said however, if he saw the invoice he would be able to tell. The former MD further stated that is was not the Ports Authority Board giving him instructions about the purchasing of piles, but the request was “coming through the company that was negotiating with the Consultant, Mr. Claude Skelton-Cline.”
The Member for the First District asked Mr. Vincent V. O’Neal if he was sure about this, because it was on record, to which he answered in the affirmative. He stated he was sure. When Hon. Christopher asked whether Mr. O’Neal had ever met the persons that were involved with the company who was discussing with Skelton-Cline, he told the PAC that he met some of the people.
The Member of the Second District asked whether he could remember any of their names, to which the former MD stated that he could remember some of the names. He indicated that he was invited to a meeting at the Moorings when he met them.
When asked by Hon Christopher of the Second District how he knew how much piles were part of the invoice, Mr. O’Neal responded that all of the information was on the invoice. It was also revealed that the Board was asked to make a decision on the purchase of these piles in a resolution after everything that had transpired with the invoice.
Adams uncomfortable with 3 Million payment request
The then Acting Chairman of the BVI Ports Authority Board Gregory W. Adams told the MD that the invoice itself did not provide sufficient information to meet the policy required by the Ports Authority for any payments exceeding $40,000.
The former MD met with the Ag. Chairman of the Board Mr. Adams who indicated to him that he was not comfortable to pay the invoice for the piles in the manner being requested to him as Managing Director and that he needed to get more information.
The MD then contacted two local banks in which the Ports Authority has accounts and information was provided as to what was required to affect a wire transfer. Mr. O’Neal then conveyed the information to Mr. Skelton-Cline however he never got back to Mr. O’Neal with the information requested.
Both the MD and former Chairman raised red flags on the way the payment for the piles was being requested by the Minister and Consultant and they both insisted that the Ports Authority Board had to approve it.
According to the PAC report this prompted Mr. Wendell M. Gaskin Deputy Financial Secretary who sits on the BVI Ports Authority Board representing the Financial Secretary to move a motion to approve a resolution for the funds of over 3 million dollars to be paid for the piles.
Meetings at the Moorings? Does Ports Authority have an office there?
Mr. Vincent V. O’Neal the former Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority in his testimony detailed many meetings at the Moorings where no minutes were taken. The First District Representative asked if the Moorings was now a branch of the BVI PA and its facilities. The former MD responded to his knowledge no.
When asked who invited him to meetings at the Moorings, the former MD told the House Select Committee that he was invited at times by the current Minister for Communications and Works Vanterpool and the then Consultant Claude Skelton-Cline. At one of the meetings Mr. O’Neal met specifically with a Mr. Cashman.
The member for the First District asked what the purpose of the meeting was and whether minutes of the meeting were kept.
To this the former Managing Director of the BVIPA responded that no minutes were kept and the meeting with Mr. Cashman was about him wanting to know how they could get the passenger tax paid directly to them.
Mr. O’Neal informed Mr. Cashman that this was in violation of the law as the Passenger tax was to be paid to the Ports Authority or to the Central Government.
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36 Responses to “‘$3M payment request for piles before approval’ - Vincent V. O’Neal”
From: Public Accounts Committee
Sir, I write as chairman of the PAC, after conducting investigation into this ports project. Having all the evidence of inconsistencies with the way govt conducts business. It is evident that there were irregularities with the way this project was handled.
I'm asking that a commision of inquiry be conducted into the port project and that the findings of the inquiry be turned over to either the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force for review and for Criminal Investigation into the matter. No stones on this matter is to be left unturned.
I await your response.
PAC Chairman