Senior Investigator assigned to Walwyn ESHS wall case – CoP Matthews
In her report on the wall commissioned by embattled Co-Leader of Government, Hon Myron V. Walwyn (AL), the Auditor General noted that there was “no value for money, workers being paid for work not done” and blatant violations of the law, in particular, the “Public Finance Management Regulations.”
Following the Walwyn leak of the report and a bombshell statement on December 14, 2018, by Governor of the Virgin Islands (VI), Mr Augustus J. U. Jaspert, the report was then forward to the RVIPF for 'further action'.
Police Scoping issue
“As you know it would be inappropriate of me to comment on any live investigation but I can confirm that the force has received a copy of the Auditor General’s report into a construction of the wall at the Elmore Stoutt High School,” CoP Matthews told ‘Honestly Speaking’, Claude O. Skelton-Cline during the Tuesday, January 8, 2019, edition of his radio show on ZBVI 780 radio.
He continued by saying that at the moment, a Senior Detective has been assigned to scope the issue out, and look at the report because according to him, “in reading the findings of the audit, that doesn’t tell me enough.”
“It doesn’t tell me whether the outcome was a result of ignorance, was a result of incompetence or was it something more dishonest… and of course we don’t jump to any conclusions, I keep an open mind,” CoP Matthews said.
Impartial
Further, Mr Matthews said that it is part of the RVIPF’s mandate to remain impartial to issues when doing investigations.
“We remain completely impartial on these matters so we’re scoping it out, we’re looking at the facts that the Auditor General has brought together, we’re looking at the conclusions… and we’re looking at the data that the Auditor General has referred to,” he said.
Mr Matthews pointed out that after the scoping out exercise, if the RVIPF believes that the case warrants a proper investigation, then ‘that is exactly what we’ll have to do.”
He said at this stage the police is just looking at the facts to see what the issue is about, “it could be one of many things,” he said.
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7 Responses to “Senior Investigator assigned to Walwyn ESHS wall case – CoP Matthews ”
The resources that might be assigned, he said, could mean outsourcing experts for the investigation.” Why are outside experts needed? Is this not a routine administrative investigation? What technical experts are needed? Can’t the RVIPF conduct a fair, quality and reasonable investigation, are they that “less”? No it is not that less.
Is it because the RVIPF does not want face the music from affected parties for a fair and reasonable investigation and it is easy to cast blame on external entities? Is unnecessarily bringing in supposed experts for admin investigation intended to create employment for others?