BVI News

Accountant General changed to ‘speed up’ audited financial statements

Premier Andrew Fahie

Premier Andrew Fahie has said former Acting Accountant General Anna Rabsatt was replaced by Arnold Ainsley because the Treasury Department needed to get up to date with its audited financial statements.

Many people were questioning why a local was removed from the post for a foreigner, but Fahie clarified that there was no Accountant General confirmed to the post.

He said Ainsley is on a two-year contract and the hope is a Virgin Islander will take over once his tenure is completed.

During Ainsley’s tenure, the staff at the treasury will receive training to further improve the standards according to the Premier. Fahie added that there are things that must be taken into consideration once someone has taken up the post and for now, it is a transitional period.

“We have certain things that we have to get done in the treasury and we want to do some training and after the tenure. I think it is a two-year tenure. We will definitely have a Virgin Islander back in as the head of the treasury. There are some things we must accomplish including speeding up the process of having our audited financial statement up to date because it is a constitutional infringement,” the Premier said.

“It’s not that those things were not being done but we have to speed it up. There’s some expertise that the person (Ainsley) has in terms of the qualifications and expertise that we need at this time to get certain things accomplished that we want to accomplish and even stay in line with things we have to do for the United Kingdom,” he added.

Fahie noted that some persons working in the department need to qualify themselves so that they can maintain the level of performance and standards required internationally.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Ainsley carries more than 30 years of experience with him to the Accountant General post. According to his LinkedIn social media profile, he is skilled in numerous financial and accounting functions including the preparation of annual budgets and strategic plans.

He is also skilled in consolidated financial reporting and managing the integrity of financial systems.

Ainsley’s profile also noted he is an expert in establishing and developing lasting business relationships that ensure fiscal performance.

He is experienced in both the public and private sectors. Ainsley is no newcomer to an Accountant General post in an overseas territory as he served as the Accountant General in Turks and Caicos for nearly three years.

He’s also familiar with the Virgin Islands as he spent over three years as a Personal Finance Management consultant for the Ministry of Finance.

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20 Comments

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  1. Maria says:

    This explanation makes no sense

    Like 16
    • 10 years without financial statements says:

      – $400 million in pension liabilities
      – $80M a year in NHI expenses
      – Less than 10% of all income goes into schools, roads and other capital projects
      – 90% is spent on salaries and other annual costs

      This place is on the highway to bankrupcy!

      Like 15
  2. bvi love says:

    more lies from the pit of h**l

    Like 13
  3. heckler says:

    “we don’t need to bring in outsiders when we have people here who can do the job” Who said that?

    Like 22
  4. he lie says:

    The governor forced his hand by calling that shot.

    Like 13
    Dislike 4
    • hmmm says:

      If Anna Rabsatt needed help then why not hire Arnold Ainsley to support her….smdh…This man thinks we are stupid lol.

      Like 8
      Dislike 1
  5. BuzzBvi says:

    Let’s hope he fixes it this time.

  6. This man is just awful says:

    But when under the NDP people came in from overseas in areas where we needed help you turned it into a political circus for your own benefit. You wanted people to believe that the NDP was not for locals. Look at this now! I guess it is justificable now that you have had to do it. We have a St. Lucian as head of the airport and a Jamaica as head of the treasury and its good all of a sudden. No one can dispute that we will need to source the skills that we need when we don’t have them in the country. That’s the way of the world. But what is terrible is when politicians like you do not seek to educate the public on these things. You manipulate their minds for your own benefit and that is horrible leadership. It cannot be bad when someone else does it but good when you do the same thing.

    Like 34
    • Hello? says:

      “It cannot be bad when someone else does it but good when you do the same thing.” … the word for that is called HYPOCRITE

      Like 21
    • WRONG says:

      The Premier is not awful, he is RIGHT to continue to spew nonsense once the people continue to eat it up! It is glaringly obvious that all the man does is play street politics and people continue to support him so why should he stop? It starts and ends with the voters of the Territory.

      Like 14
  7. Bvislanders says:

    I hope ayo noticing that this man is systematically removing locals from key positions held by bvislanders for years and replacing them with island people and he is giving out belongerships right left and center…As the late Clarence Thomas used to say “watch the game people”

    Like 9
    Dislike 4
  8. oh so it go ???? says:

    So when a local business person want to bring in an outsider to better his or her business they cant get a work permit but the government can do it ???????

    Like 11
  9. benjamin says:

    Mehson learn to lie

  10. Ne Timeas says:

    Rubbish! Gobbledygook! Double speak! Sounds like something straight out Animal Farm.

  11. Eagle and Buffalo says:

    Animal Farm Juntas: “ All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.” The Premier’s explanation has more holes than a sieve or grains of sand on the Long Bay beach. Oh, it feels like we are back in the Dickensian world of Hard Times. The haves and facing off against the have-nots. The more things change the more they remain the same. Common on man!

    [Let’s lead like eagles, not careen off the cliff like eagles]

  12. CONFESSION says:

    well a little bit is good for his soul, and if the people are not getting his message , let me break it down for ya’all ( we got fuC*ed

  13. Citizen says:

    Wonder which of these fool ministers will run first. Not run for election, run from the coming COI report. It coming and we is watching.

  14. ### says:

    The d**n biggest l**r in the BVI the premier of the BVI

  15. Thoughtful Sailor says:

    So….we boast that we are one of the financial centers of the world, but we have no one to be the Auditor General?

  16. Thoughtful Sailor says:

    Sorry, Accountant General, not Auditor General.

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