Walwyn's HoA Honestly Speaking comments were 'reckless, willful & wicked'- Skelton-Cline
On his show 'Honestly Speaking' on ZBVI 780 AM on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, after a three-week break, Pastor Skelton-Cline expressed his irritation and addressed the leader of the opposition directly.
Hon. Walwyn referenced the 'Honestly Speaking' program indirectly while discussing political unity and governance challenges in the Virgin Islands.
Walwyn's comments were 'reckless, willful & wicked'
Pastor Skelton-Cline remarked that he found the opposition leader’s comments "reckless, willful, and wicked," stating that it was disingenuous to invoke his program in the House of Assembly (HOA).
He emphasised that, as a private citizen, his program should not be referenced in this legislative context, particularly when the leader of the opposition has immunity.
He further articulated, "That kind of arrogance always baffles me, but I will take the time to address your statements more substantively. You should not do that. No one should go into the House of Assembly and invoke the name of a private citizen in discussions that are not even relevant."
Virgin Islands Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), who was a guest on Pastor Skelton-Cline's ‘’Honestly Speaking’’ program on Tuesday, confirmed that there is a Standing Order—specifically Standing Order 55—that prohibits naming or identifying private citizens in debates unless they are already part of official proceedings or public documents.
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The British Virgin Islands Commission of Inquiry (COI) was highly critical of the government contracts awarded to Claude Skelton-Cline. According to the COI and subsequent audits, the contracts exhibited severe flaws in governance and accountability:
The COI found Skelton-Cline’s contracts to be “patently false,” with terms that did not attempt to set out the actual contractual obligations. The report described this as demonstrating “serious dishonesty on the part of public officials” involved in drafting and authorizing the contracts.
The COI stated there was overwhelming evidence that Skelton-Cline’s engagement was primarily a personal political appointment by then-Premier Andrew Fahie, with little assessment or monitoring by public officers. Payments were made despite the fact that Skelton-Cline was not fulfilling the intended contractual deliverables.
The Commission recommended a full audit of these contracts to assess the work done, the extent of non-performance, and whether value for money was received. The audit found that the government paid Skelton-Cline over $350,000 between March 2019 and September 2021, but he failed to provide any meaningful analysis, assessments, or deliverables. Most of what was claimed as output was duplicated or never advanced, and there was “no regard for good governance and accountability in the use of public resources”.
The reports concluded that the primary purpose of these consultancies appeared to be providing employment for the consultant, not genuine value to the government, and recommended that the authorities consider recovering public funds and investigating any potential criminal offenses.
In summary, the Commission and subsequent audits found the contracts awarded to Claude Skelton-Cline were not justified, exhibited serious governance failures, and resulted in significant financial loss to the public with no discernible benefit.
@TruDat!, you have a good memory!!