Hugh E. Darley tells it all! Alleges corruption on Ports Project
He is also accusing the government of not honouring their licencing obligations for the use of his designs some of which they changed in an effort to “cheapen” the project.
He plans to sue the government for monies owed to him.
I need to clear my name
Darley granted Virgin Islands News Online an exclusive interview yesterday December 20, 2015 during which he made a number of scathing disclosures about the already controversial project.
“One thing I need to do is I need to clear my name. I have heard that I have been made out to be a bad person and that I had a negative influence on the project. I have been the only person who has worked on the project for the benefit of the BVI. I have no party affiliation."
I intend to sue the government
The engineering consultant further accused the NDP Government of not honouring their side of the agreement regarding the use of his designs for the Ports Project.
“I created the project and I brought the cruise lines to the BVI government. The government never paid me for my participation. They were supposed to pay me a licencing agreement for the use of my drawings because we did not close on our financial deal. I sought legal action against the government but because of the cost to sue the BVI government it may be cost prohibitive right now. I have to wait till the project opens and then I will reassess the possibility of suing them for what they used of my drawings,” he said.
Project doesn’t represent value for money
Darley said that from what he has seen during a recent visit to the territory, the project has turned out to be something other than what he originally envisaged.
“The project as it is now does not represent value for money. I was there in the fall and I am coming back on Monday so I’ll be there for the dedication,” said Darley.
Darley said that the project delays put all of the agreements with the cruise line companies in jeopardy.
“We had a very firm agreement to develop and open the project on a time line so that we could be assured of the guarantees which were very lucrative. We had a 15 year guarantee from Disney on Norwegian Cruise Line at $15 per person pay tax which had a value of 90 million dollars over 15 years,” said Darley.
He said when he was part of the project it was planned that the project would have been built for 45 million dollars.
He said also that the 90 million dollars head tax give the BVI a lot of leverage. Because the government had no risk. “We had 100% of the risk to build the project,” he said.
Darley explained that the government of the VI cannot enter into a contract where there is contingent liability. “This means if it fails it would cost the government of the VI or the UK. I don’t know how they now entered that contract without us – Tortola Pier Partners (TPP). They were taking a risk to complete the project on time to preserve the guarantees,” said Darley.
I was forbidden to speak with Opposition
Darley also alleged that during his involvement with the Ports Development Project he was directed who to speak to and who not to. He further alleged that anyone not considered a bonafide NDP was to be avoided.
"[They] told me that I am not to speak to anyone who was not a soldier of the NDP and that was [name given] word,” Darley declared.
“When I first brought a project to Dr Smith on Dr Pickering it was just after they were elected in 2011 I met them and proposed the project. I did not meet Mark H. Vanterpool until March of 2012. At that time he had told me that there will be a consultant appointed who will represent the BVI under negotiates deal points with my company. That person became Claude O. Skelton-Cline and they were paying him $90,000 per year as a consultant. There was at Port Authority board in place and the time and a gentleman was acting as the managing director but we were instructed not to meet with him. We were only allowed to meet with what they call the caucus and those meetings were led by Minister Vanterpool,” said Darley.
“The Minister pulled all the strings and told us who to talk to, who to meet with. I was forbidden to speak with anyone in the Opposition. It was always done in private,” he said, adding that over the two years he lived on Tortola he has purchased “many meals for many people,” during those meetings.
Skelton-Cline was never qualified
Asked about his thoughts about the move not to renew the contract of Claude O. Skelton-Cline Darley did not express any surprise at this state of affairs.
“Well he was never qualified to be the manager of the Ports Authority I believe that he is a pastor in his full time capacity,” he said. He lamented that no one on the BVIPA Board was a licenced or qualified engineer with experience on such projects.
Darley said that’s when the government did not honour their agreement with him and his company he wrote the Governor at the time William Boyd McCleary on the issue.
“They began paying our licensing fee of $25,000 per month in January 2014. They made four payments and then ceased all communications with our company. We reported the issue to the previous governor but because he was preparing to leave he did not take up the issue,” he said. He is still owed two million for that licence, he told our news site.
Darley said that a third party not affiliated with either the government or the contractor should evaluate the project.
Pier Park looks like a ‘shopping centre’
“In August of 2013 I had approved plans from Town and Country Planning. I had a contractual arrangement in place with people to build the facility for 45 million dollars. Today they have reduced the project and overspent,” he said. I know there is not value for money.”
He said if one were to take one building within the Tortola Pier Park and take away the storm windows and out in plastic windows, doors take way the shutters and do a less expensive design to include stucco and concrete instead of brick, then the cost to build will be less. “The building I designed was supposed to look like British architecture. It now looks like a shopping centre and it cost them more money.”
He said that his company had a contract for $18.7 million with Meridian Construction to build a pier. “Yet the Government I believe paid over $30 million for the same pier.”
“The point is we had a project that was approved by the cruise lines and Town and Country Planning that worked at $18.7 million. Then who created these changes to spend more money on the pier,” he asked. “Some consultancy or some contractor led them down that path to overspending,” he alleged.
Darley recalled that while he was running the project and dealing with Town and Country Planning he had to abide by all of the laws. He said that after his departure abiding by the laws seemed optional for some people.
“I heard of approval being done without getting permission from Town and Country Planning. I heard of design changes being made without any review. I heard that buildings were changed, removed or just omitted from the plan,” he said.
Efforts to reach Minister for Communications and Works Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) and Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline to respond to the allegations were futile.
Meanwhile, the opening ceremony for the Pier Park which was supposed to be held tomorrow December 22, 2015 has been postponed.
Government has always sought to justify the delays and cost overruns that the project has experienced. It is interesting to see how they will react to the explosive pronouncements of Mr Hugh E. Darley.
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103 Responses to “Hugh E. Darley tells it all! Alleges corruption on Ports Project”
when you piece them together amounts to gibberish.
It must be apparent to all whom have been keenly watching things unravel surrounding this mega-project and the mega-risk it entails. If what Mr. Darley is saying has merit; then where do WE the public go from here in terms of believing the custodians of the public purse are doing so to the best interest of the country and not themselves. Is there going to be an investigation on these allegations or is this going to be swept under the rug just like everything else?
Gov. we await your response as the public are deeply concerned at a time when all other public infrastructures have been neglected for this particular project.
I blame the governor for this he refused to conduct the commission of Inquiry…now the sh*t hit the fan…Duncan MUST GO
Alot of them in positions they are not qualified for. smfh
This administration is "dark" and secretive! Urgent prays are needed for the nation to prosper once more.
The pier opening is postponed, Ed DeCastro resigned and the Governor is holding on to Claude Cline contract renewal. hmmmm As I said before, there is some kind of truth to what this man is saying. Is for us taxpayers to open our eyes.
also, nepotism, cronyism ,
and racism ...
Firstly, government appointed a man who was completely unqualified as Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority. Government subsequently appointed yet another entirely unqualified man to be the first man's second in command.
The Auditor General (Sonia Webster) provided a report outlining some grave concerns in regards to the pier project more than 2 years ago. She has since been replaced.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by Ralph O'Neal, raised the same concerns and called for a Commission of Inquiry. They were basically ignored.
The acting Chairman of the Ports Authority (Gregory Adams) was kept out of the decision making processes early on in the project and was then reassigned. He is now the Chief Planner at Town & Country Planning. He was replaced by Ed DeCastro, who has since resigned as Chairman for undisclosed reasons.
Now Mr. Skelton Cline's contract as Managing Director of the Port Authority has not been renewed.
Hugh Darley and his firm were fired without any fanfare or public uproar, because he ain't from here.
Two Governors have steadfastly refused to launch a commission of inquiry, despite these very serious allegations.
Draw your own conclusions. Anyone who believes even for one moment that this project isn't shrouded in duplicity is either incredibly naive or just plain stupid. It is right in our faces, but there are those among us who refuse to open their eyes and see the truth.
Mr. Darley should send his report to Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Forget the Governor!
This sour grape expose' will be the wind on the back of NDP which will catapult them to victory again in the General Election.
I wish there was even ONE person (from here AND a known NDP supporter) with big enough cajones to step up, stand up for what's right and tell us the absolute truth about this whole mess and the goings on regarding the finances. Everyone is so afraid to lose their darned job (or be victimized by society as a whole) that they are willing to allow things to slide, at our expense.
It seems if you aren't from here and if you aren't an NDP "soldier", nobody is willing to listen. What a sad, sad commentary.
Can the Governor's be trusted to see this through to the end? Who will go to jail....clearly something is wrong with this project ....someone must pay.
They trying to match the Pot Holes,
So who got caught with hands in the cookie jar now huh TT?
A plus though,when the fuzzy dust settles,NDP will once again be vindicated and the detractors left to ramble. The BVI is blessed with the current Gov so give thanks and move forward rather than jumping blindfolded on the wagon of opportunistic vultures whose wish is to prove that success is yours only via them.
Go away Farley. We got this but thanks for your unwitting endorsement of NDP.
Looking forward to their reelection after having prevailed yet again.