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Gov't investigating self on ports project scandal!

- has ordered an audit on itself by international firm yet to be disclosed
Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith announced he has ordered an audit to be done by an international firm of the controversial cruise ship development project as a means to putting to rest what he called rumours being circulated. Photo: VINO
Premier Smith said he was not yet ready to disclose the name of the company doing the audit but said that it was an international company. Photo: VINO/File
Premier Smith said he was not yet ready to disclose the name of the company doing the audit but said that it was an international company. Photo: VINO/File
Both the Auditor General's Report and the Public Accounts Committee Report identified a number of issues with the cruise pier development that warranted further investigations. Photo: VINO/File
Both the Auditor General's Report and the Public Accounts Committee Report identified a number of issues with the cruise pier development that warranted further investigations. Photo: VINO/File
Further, the Premier said that all payments owed to former project coordinator Hugh E. Darley have been settled and if the American still feels aggrieved then he can seek recourse by either engaging the Government or going through the courts. Photo: Internet source
Further, the Premier said that all payments owed to former project coordinator Hugh E. Darley have been settled and if the American still feels aggrieved then he can seek recourse by either engaging the Government or going through the courts. Photo: Internet source
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith announced that he has ordered an audit to be done by an international firm of the controversial cruise ship development project as a means to putting to rest what he called rumours being circulated.

Further, the Premier said all payments owed to former project coordinator Hugh E. Darley have been settled and if the American still feels aggrieved then he can seek recourse by either engaging the Government or through the courts.

The Premier made the surprise announcement yesterday January 21, 2016 while speaking at a press conference held at the Central Administration Complex during which he dealt with a number of pressing national issues.

“As you know since the cruise pier project began a few years ago there has been quite a lot of discussion about it and in order to be able to be transparent I decided to do an audit. I do not want to continue to be listening to rumours which are totally false and this is why that I want to put everything to rest.”

He said he was not yet ready to disclose the name of the company doing the audit but said that it was an international company.

'All payments were made to Mr Darley'

Darley, the President of I D E A Inc., had released bombshells regarding the project, saying the people did not get value for money and that he was not paid in full for his drawings used for the project.

He also lambasted the Government for the present state of the project and said that there was no way the opening, postponed from December 2015 to February 2016, was going to make the new date. He made allegations of overspending of up to $10 million on the project and that the project cost was ballooning over and above what had been originally estimated.

Darley had also accused Premier Smith of censuring his Ministers so that they would have nothing to say to him (Darley).

On the allegations of Hugh E. Darley, Premier Smith said that as far as he was aware, all debts to Darley had been settled.

“As far as I know there is no truth to those rumours. Whatever was owed to Mr Darley was as far as I know paid to the company that he was involved with. If Mr Darley thinks there is something else that he is due, he has recourse. He has to make his request or his presentation to government or to the courts. He has made his presentations in the news but that does not represent a presentation to Government,” he said.

Meanwhile, this news site has been pressing Mr Darley to provide his so called evidence he claims he has but has not acknowledged our requests.

We want a Commission of Inquiry - Report

A report of the Public Accounts Committee, which was leaked to selective media houses in June 2014, provided evidence and documentation on how the Ports Pier Project was conducted and the many red flags raised.

This report had recommended that the Governor appoint a Commission of Inquiry to examine the propriety of the process through which the Cruise Ship Port Development was handled, in the view of the evidence gathered during the Public Accounts Committee Process which clearly show;

i. Disregard for public process in the procurement of a major public project;
ii. Absence of transparency in the handling of the public business;
iii. Engagement of companies, consultants and individuals without sourcing alternatives;
iv. Consistent and ongoing association between parties representing the Government side and the contractors through processes that were deficient in achieving any positive public purpose yet incurring ongoing and unjustified cost to the public purse.

The PAC reports also made allegations of the breaking of laws of the Virgin Islands in which it stated on page 31, 1 in the summary that “the government spent two years and countless resources engaging processes that were contrary to Public Financial Management Regulations, in contravention of the BVI Ports Authority Act, non-transparent and untenable.”

The PAC Report also blasted the Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) for what it described as his “failure to confer with the Authority on the Cruise Ship Port Project”…as a result this “led to a costly redesign for the Government and the Authority in terms of time and resources.”

PAC endorsed Auditor General Sonia M. Webster’s Report

In 2013 the then Virgin Islands Auditor General Ms. Sonia M. Webster conducted her own investigations of the Ports Development Project.

One of the revelations in the Auditor General Report is that the developer recommended and approved by the National Democratic Party Government, the Tortola Pier Park (TPP) Group, had named the BVI Investment Club as its local partner, page 11 (61).

The Auditor General's Report on the Ports Development Project unearthed corruption, conflict of interest, disregard for the laws of the Virgin Islands, unfair practices, undue influence in favour of one developer, disregard for the established tendering process and found that no one was looking out for the interest of the people and taxpayers of the Virgin Islands, putting the people at a disadvantage.

Despite all of the earlier evidence from the two reports and numerous persons speaking to the media and revealing certain information, Governor John S. Duncan did not see it fit to appoint a commission of Inquiry.

30 Responses to “Gov't investigating self on ports project scandal!”

  • tom cat (22/01/2016, 09:15) Like (22) Dislike (2) Reply
    Well sah the rat minding the cheese
    • @tom cat (22/01/2016, 11:22) Like (26) Dislike (4) Reply
      Couldn't agree with you more. Why is Mark still a Minister? No where in the world would someone remain in office while under this kind of major cloud. The first move is to have him removed.
    • Aphorism (22/01/2016, 14:03) Like (14) Dislike (0) Reply
      Or fox guarding the chicken coop.
    • S.R. (23/01/2016, 09:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Dah caught between rock & hard place!! Let FCO do investigation.
  • well say (22/01/2016, 09:25) Like (13) Dislike (2) Reply
    dem to darm LIE!
  • just asking.... (22/01/2016, 09:25) Like (28) Dislike (1) Reply
    where is the governor?
    • @ just asking.... (22/01/2016, 09:53) Like (18) Dislike (3) Reply
      Where he continue to be AWAL and claiming there is no corruption
    • answer (22/01/2016, 14:46) Like (19) Dislike (0) Reply
      He is right here but he is no better they all lied to us remember he said that the commissioner will not be coming from ENGLAND yes he will not be coming from ENGLAND but he is from there . They have us to be fool but when the wise speaks the fools are listen. Look how the BVI come by these power hungry people .They put fowls to mind corns and now they are going to more fowls to audit the same corns .
  • huh (22/01/2016, 10:09) Like (14) Dislike (1) Reply
    Dis iz pure bull shiggidy!
  • wize up (22/01/2016, 10:22) Like (11) Dislike (1) Reply
    let there be light
  • Clearly (22/01/2016, 11:19) Like (16) Dislike (1) Reply
    The Minister needs to be removed in order to do any audit or investigation properly.
  • BuzzBvi (22/01/2016, 12:07) Like (22) Dislike (0) Reply
    HA ha,
    Can't even produce accounts, budgets or a census.
    How are they going to be able to investigate anything.
    The Government has no information to look at.
  • selah (22/01/2016, 12:25) Like (1) Dislike (18) Reply
    Most people vex because they did not get a cut of the money that was sharing on the project. Now they coming to us acting as if they are concerned about the finances of the Territory. The park is a good thing for the Territory but some aspects were not dealt with in the right manner. However, I don't want to hear half these people complaining now. Give them a contract now to help finish it then the project will be the best thing since rum and whore houses. People around here seriously lack principle and being upright. They have been crying corruption for the last 2 years on this project but to date no hard facts presented. Why?
    • @selah (22/01/2016, 13:23) Like (16) Dislike (1) Reply
      Well since you feel there is no corruption then allow for a full investigation to clear everything up. Also move the Minister while this is being done.
    • @ selah (22/01/2016, 20:11) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
      Have you always been a moron..or did you recently study to be one?

      Gee!!!
  • Dulcina (22/01/2016, 13:50) Like (3) Dislike (21) Reply
    An inadequate opposition demonstrating both members insecurities and inadequacies. Poor fellas. The harder they come, the harder they fall.
  • Forbidden Truth (22/01/2016, 15:47) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply
    UNSUSTAINABLE ENTITLEMENT GROWTH.
    The Virgin Islands political elites - VIP/ NDP, cronies and other side kicks alike, have led this country to the brink of bankruptcy- The Pier Park, Admin Road - NHI, Sea Cows Bay mess, road digging up and repaving etc....are all consequences of an environment in which OUR SO CALLED LEADERS know That they will never be held accountable for the debts they incur in OUR names. This represents a very serious long-term threat to the Virgin Islands as we have known it to be.
  • Hmmmmm (22/01/2016, 15:49) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
    I am confuse hasn't the Audit department done an Audit already why not use that report.
  • Lb (22/01/2016, 16:30) Like (3) Dislike (4) Reply
    VIP did the same thing. Nothing new. Hired consultants to report exactly what they wanted hear on several projects.
  • Serious (22/01/2016, 16:35) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    How can the Primier investigate his own government and his Brods. at that . Corruption on corruption. Which of his friends is he bringing to give taxpayers money to tell him what he wants to hear? What happen to the chief auditor and the PAC? The Primier needs to spend his own money if he is not prepared to come clean with the people regardless of Whois implicated in this mess. This mess could have been cleaned up before it came to this. The country is now tarnished.
  • +++ (22/01/2016, 19:37) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    I cannot understand why UK is not here yet!
  • @selah (23/01/2016, 02:50) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Government contracts? They don't pay half them still owing for months depending on who you in with
  • Charley Rose (23/01/2016, 04:49) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Well, I am glad that the Premier is finally awake from his slumber and made a visit to the controversial cruise ship project. This project is too important to the territory and such a large sum of money involved to leave in the hands of a few individuals. The visit of the Premier to this project should not be the last. Until the project is finish, he needs to make periodic visits surprisingly with a team of individuals who are knowledge of construction in order to have a thorough review of the state of affairs. The Premier cannot run a country by sitting in his office or being at the hospital. His presence should be felt through out the territory. I do hope ALL of the other ministers will follow his example and visit departments under their ministries.
  • wize up (23/01/2016, 06:00) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    just a question: is this investigation being done then lead to criminal prosecution or is the investigation being done as a smoke screen to stop the talk.....the opposition should be conducting such investigation(s)::: will the territory ever hear the results of this so-called investigation or will this investigation lead to better checks and balances within the halls of government moving forward......
  • WHY? (23/01/2016, 07:28) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    So much things wrong. where to start. Let me just ask. Why are they dicking up our roads so often? OMG. where is the long term plan? I don`t think there is a country in the world that dig up their Roads this Often, even the newly paved one heading to One Mart from Delta Pasea. Why?--- in the first place I thought paving that road was a bad idea, and a waste of money. It was perfectly fine. It would have made more sense when they finish digging up all over to use that money to pave from the round about to prospect. Then again after they finished paving they will give somebody who come with some late plan permission to dig it up
  • W*F (24/01/2016, 20:01) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    If Governor Duncan don't want to manage the affairs of the territory, why don't he just ask Her Majesty to rescind his appointment. With so much clouds surrounding the NDP government, this UK appointed Governor is turning a blind eye. Why is he here? He is not serving any useful purpose.


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