UPDATE: Vanterpool denounces PAC ports project report
He was speaking during the Sixth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly where he tabled a motion for the debate of the said report today - on the same day of its tabling.
However, Members of the Opposition would have none of it since they stated that such a debate cannot take place on the day as the tabling of the report. That report was tabled today by the Chairman of the PAC Hon Ralph T. O’Neal OBE.
The back and forth talk between Speaker of the House Ingrid A. Moses and Members of the Opposition benches led to the Speaker threatening to use her authority under the Standing Orders to have persons removed from the sitting.
“This is not a motion this is a debate,” said Representative for the First District Hon Andrew A. Fahie, in reference to the speech Hon Vanterpool was making in laying his Motion. “That’s a debate…that’s a debate…come on!” said Hon Fahie.
“Honouable Member for the First, I have the floor and I don’t want to have to invoke provisions in the Standing Orders that are going to have any member removed from this critically important matter,” said Speaker Moses. The Speaker later ruled that the motion was properly raised by the Minister for Communications and Works.
Vanterpool attacked the report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Ports Project saying, “The [PAC] Interim Report claims that many red flags had been raised without listing or substantiating any such red flags. I want to make clear that the report that I speak of is this two and a half page report that is here before the House.”
He said that while the report speaks of 13 persons being interviewed by the PAC the report has appended to it the minutes of only three such interviews. “This begs the question of why the other minutes of evidence were not appended Madame Speaker,” said Hon Vanterpool.
Hon Vanterpool said that the report failed to list the substantial irregularities and questionable circumstances.
He said that the Auditor General’s report cannot form part of the report of the PAC since it (the Auditor General’s Report) was not yet in the public domain having not yet been laid in the House of Assembly.
Further, Hon Vanterpool said the report did not list any evidence to substantiate the claims therein with regards to the usurping of authority and exclusion of the Board from important decisions with regard to the project. “This questionable report seems aimed at preventing the building of the Cruise pier dock...” he said.
Following the approval of the motion, the debate commenced on the PAC Interim Report and it was still ongoing as at post time.
See previous story published on April 16, 2014
BVIPA seeks $35M Loan to carry out controversial Ports Project
-Despite the two damaging reports on the Ports Development Project the National Democratic Party Government said it’s a done deal!
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - After signing Berthing agreements in January of 2014 with Norwegian and Disney Cruise Lines the BVI Ports Authority will now foot the bill to expand the Ports Pier Extension and the Pier Park land side development.
The BVI Ports Authority will be asking the House of Assembly (HoA) at its Sixth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly scheduled for April 17, 2014 to approve a $35 Million loan for the project secured from First Caribbean International Bank (Cayman Islands).
The Loan will be guaranteed by the Government of the Virgin Islands and according to the Order Paper for the April 17, 2014 sitting of the HoA the amount – up to US$35Million – is to be used for the extension of the cruise ship pier to 396 linear meters and widening to 20 linear meters.
Further the money will be used for the Pier Park Real Estate project for the development of 4.3 acres of land in the pier vicinity with up to 39,000 sq. ft mixed use real estate.
It’s unclear how this new land side development with shops will affect the recently revived Craft Alive Project.
The true cost of the project remains unclear since some over $2 Million dollars have been paid out already on the project with some $1.7 Million going to Tortola Ports Partners (TPP) for drawings, along with payments to Price WaterHouse Coopers.
TPP was also paid some $11,215.00 for simply making a presentation to the Ports Board.
Further, Price WaterHouse Coopers was hired to help the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) secure the loan and once successful will collect a fee of 0.75% of the total gross sum raised which is an additional $262,500.00 for Price WaterHouse Coopers.
Two damaging reports on ports project: Webster/PAC
The Ports Extension Project has been rocked by controversy from its start. In January of 2013 the Auditor General Ms. Sonia M. Webster using her constitutional powers conducted an audit of the project.
In her conclusion she found 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.
For example in Ms. Webster’s audit report on the Ports Development Project, on page 5 (31) stated in regards to the tender process that “there was no transparency in the process by which the three submissions were received”.
Furthermore, once the project finally went out to public tender, Ms. Webster wrote, on page 10 (59) “provision in the invitation for expression of interest mirrored the previously accepted proposal from Tortola Port Partners to a considerable extent which may have created an unfair advantage. This opens the door whereby the impartiality of the process could be challenged.”
On page 7 (44) of the Auditor General Report, another example of how no one was looking out for the people’s interest, Ms Webster wrote that ‘throughout the process, the Attorney General’s Chambers was consulted for clarification and legal advice with respect to the Government’s interests. All of the legal documents, however, originated from the developer’s lawyers”.
The Auditor General complained in her report at page 11 (60) that “the tying together of the dock expansion to the development of the upland, without making allowance for the possibility of separate submission and assessment, limited the government’s ability to achieve value for money and precluded other parties that might have been qualified to perform one of the other [engagements].”
PAC Report
The Public Account Committee (PAC) Chaired by Leader of the Opposition Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE in an interim special report found many of the same issues with the project as did the Auditor General and called for further in-depth investigations.
For example, the PAC report has “revealed that there have been numerous apparent irregularities and questionable circumstances and actions [with] regards to the project in question.”
In addition the PAC reports stated “the Committee’s examinations thus far have revealed the apparent usurping of the duties and responsibilities of the BVIPA Board. It strongly appears that the Board was excluded from important decisions in regards to the project which give rise for further investigations”
The PAC report will be made public on Thursday April 17, 2014 at the House of Assembly Sitting. This news site was able to obtain an advance copy from is many sources within the ruling National Democratic Party Government.
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43 Responses to “UPDATE: Vanterpool denounces PAC ports project report”
how much land are they planning to re-claim? 43 acres "in the vicinity of the pier park" is not the 4 acres
openly talked about. This reminds me of the sale of Biras Creek but no one said anything about the 400 acres of oil nut bay in the package. talk about fine print... And the cruise companies were to build the pier in exchange for preferential berthing, right? "but it wasn't going to cost BVI anything", right?
A development of this magnitude on land fill, with no zoning, or enforcement of regulations or even planning will be a disaster. If anyone remembers the magazine Business BVI several years back, many high rise buildings were presented including one owned by the premier and his wife across from the pier park. There are too many conflict of interest issues. Any project of this size normally has a master model so people can see in three-dimensions the plans. They hired an urban planner from Trinidad but is the public going to be shown the plans PRIOR to implementation?? Probably not.