Audit finds COVID-19 church grants inflated by over 600%
An audit conducted on the now-dismantled VIP government’s 2020 COVID-19 assistance programme showed that grants awarded to local religious institutions were inflated by more than 600 per cent above the recommended amounts.
This information was disclosed in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report authored by Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom.
According to the Office of Auditor General’s report on the programme, the payment of $185,772.67 recommended by a committee established by Cabinet was increased to $1,415,000. Even then, the final sum payed out amounted to $1,554,000.
The audit showed that this was done despite the fact that 75 out of 94 religious institutions did not apply for assistance.
It was also disclosed that the amounts were increased by former Premier Andrew Fahie and endorsed by Cabinet after the fact.
According to the COI report, some of the religious institutions which had not made an application did not even collect their cheques.
And according to the audit, although the applicants showed a severe decline in income during April 2020 when the grant was being distributed, by the time the programme came into effect, most had more or less recovered to pre-COVID income levels.
The 19 applicants under ‘religious institutions’ category were assessed by the committee on the basis of statutory compliance and ‘cost per member’; resulting in a recommended grant total of $74,617.83.
A total of $111,154.84 was recommended as payment to religious institutions which made no application.
The COI report said the amounts were paid out in standard sums of $7,000, $10,000 $15,000 and $20,000 sent out in amounts different from those approved by the Cabinet.
The report said that of the 19 churches that actually applied, 16 of them had memberships of below 200 persons.
Furthermore, no criteria was disclosed to the Auditor General which was applied to effect any of the changes that were made.
Sir Gary said the uplift in funding appeared to have been made without consideration of either the financial effect of the COVID shut down at that time, the cost of reopening each church, or the number of members.
It also was not made clear why the then-Premier decided that religious institutions should be paid more than they had applied for and more than Cabinet had initially approved.
Suicides likely averted with COVID grant $$ to churches — Premier
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The churches and pastors should be shamed of themselves for allowing Andrew to manipulate them for three years and then to attempt to buy their congregation through them by giving grants and coming up on their pulpits to politic. What is worse is that none had the spiritual wisdom to see through him. So who can they really lead anywhere when you cannot even recognize the very appearance of evil? The church is a big contributor to the ills we have this community. He was planting marijuana not a word from the church. He passed gambling and not a word from the church. All sorts of dishonest behaviour and not a word from the church. Instead they welcomed him on their pulpits and crowned his a man of God who has come to save us. They should all be ashamed and go repent right away. Even pastors got in bed with him to defraud the government. Smh
Did you read the article? It is indeed a shame, but some of them certainly saw it for what it was, thus the reason the cheques were not collected. They made no applications, and was therefore not interested.
Were I a church goer, I would be going to those churches who refused Fahies bribes.
Wasn’t there a cleaning out of the Pharisees and money lenders somewhere in the Bible?
Why is he on his knees? 1) Was he practicing for being arrested? 2) Was he casting a voodoo spell on the country to look the other way? 3) Is he praying for good luck in getting away with his drug deal? 4) Is he praying for another bucket of fried chicken? 5) Has his legs gave out from having to support the 500 pounds? 6) Was he creating a lower profile in the crowd at the request of his foreign bodyguards to protect himself from Hezbollah? Why else?
Remember some churches did not apply or take any monies, and has been preaching and continue to preach about the ills in this society, and do not allow politicians on their pulpits.
The pastors of these churches are all dogs of the Drew.
That’s a great pic btw…
Not sure if it’s a revival or Dear Leader on his knees getting arrested. Wheatley clapping his hands so happy…
The VIP is the most corrupt government ever in the history of the BVI. It’s funny when you dig grave for others how you can fall into it as well.
I was planning to write the same comments.
Present VIP Government Leadership.
What’s the point of continued articles on BVI News about the findings of the COI? The report was published 4 weeks ago. The people can read it and its summary for themselves – and mostly will have by now. It can’t be to try and stoke up anti government feeling, can it? As if there isn’t enough at present …
Oh, please. Most people are NOT reading the report and will not read it. You know that as well as I do. Why do you have a problem with them parsing the report? Fraid it will make it harder for you to hookwink them?
If they wont read the COI why do you think they would read about it on BVI news. I havent read the entire COI line for line but I did check out the parts I was more interested in. At this point if you haven’t checked it out you have made a conscious decision that you probably dont care enough.
This lazy website doesn’t go and look for news. They will scrounge off the COI report for months.
It’s clear that the people appreciate the work BVI News Online is doing for the community; the COI is NOT an easy document with some threads of discussion appearing in several places. These summaries are most helpful.
It’s also clear that anyone who doesn’t want to see this public service performed doesn’t want the people to understand the document. I wonder why?
Lot’s of people have not read the C o I report, that’s why we go on line, (VINO) (BVI news) (Platnum) and buy the news paper.
Hi drip feed. Did Andrew have to drop to his knees when you went to see him ?
WOW
Seems the same as the fisher and farmer grants CORRUPT !!
In the BVI is more about money and less about God.
The best description is by the US public prosecutor who described our great leader as ‘Corrupt to the Core’
Always finding a way to THIEF the money!!!!!! WICKEDDDD!!!!!
That’s the churches in BVI for ya…. always want people to bring them money to them and when the same people go to them for little help, it’s always some nancy story they have to give you. I sick of the now.
Actually, when the church need money, they ask the congregation. When the congregation need money the church tell them to pray really hard and once you have enough faith you will get it if it was God’s will. I’ve seen Christians die poor leaving nothing but bills behind waiting for miracles to happen because they gave money that they needed to churches following a religion.
That’s the problem, I can’t understand how you can pray for money. I can see you praying for encouragement, for wisdom, for peace…but money, no man..
HE LOOKS GOOD ON HIS KNEES AND HANDS RAISED, HE BETTER GET COMFORTABLE IN THAT POSITION. LOL
Well when u have gov officials granting ppl who ask for 20k, 40k instead so they can skim the extra 20 off the top, i personally am not shocked nor surprised by this…Most religious = biggest hypocrites and criminals. the corrupting trickle effect ain skip the religious society we see…smh.
Because the COI report is not news anymore. These articles are obviously part of a campaign to vilify and denigrate the last VIP government firstly and all BVI politicians secondly. Who will you be voting for next time (assuming you have a vote)? Putin?
Praise the Lord and pass the cocaine.
Andrew on his knees again! He’s gonna be in practice …
A Big Richard to reach past that blamange a**.
Where is the list of churches and amounts they received and what they did with the money. We are curious to see if our church is one of them. Expose them.
And they should all be made to return funds in excess of what was recommended back to the government’s purse. But im afraid the excess may be already spent or lining the P*liticians pockets and not necessarily the churches bank accounts as they are recorded to be….
how much of that $ was kicked back to the fat boy/
some families with kids were afraid to apply, for fearing of being victimized if they showed a laid off letter
all those expat taxes and the unfair thing is expats have no benefits to get.
Well my name is CAROL AND AFETR LIVING AND WORKING IN THE BVI FOR 20 PLUS YRS I DIDN’T EVEN GET $1 AND …… ……… THANK GOD FOR MY JOB … … …… …
??????? DOES THE ……… PAY …….
SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE TRUTH , WHEN THE BLOGGERS WERE HOLLERING OUT WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY ,WHERE WAS YOUR TRAP ❓ AND NOW THE TRUTH HAS BEEN EXPOSED YOU COMPLAINING / JUST CONTINUE TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Every church should publicly give a detailed account of how much money they received and what they did with the funds. No wonder the Christian council or whatever name they go by was the first to issue a response begging for the people to pray for Andrew specifically. While the sheep were busy being afraid of the wolves it appears that the shepherd was preparing lamb chops.
À GOOD BULLPISSLE ? WELL EXECUTED ? WILL HELP THAT LARGE FELLOW RUN OFF SOME THE EXTRA WEIGHT / AND FOR CALLING DOWN ( GOD’S ) NAME , A COUPLE MORE WILL HELP CLEANSE HIS SINS HOPEFULLY ?
Them MS….Life in jail.
And no one in the current Government knew this? Why do we want then running things now? We need that two year break and new blood……crooks or incompetence …both are bad news.
all of them churchs and preacher should be investigated theres might be a lot of surprise with them locals hidding money who knows what alse
Then there is the statement from that magnanimous prick, the pastor what’s his name, now saying he thinks the money needs to be given back.
Time to make public the full information as to which churches got this money and how much each church get.
Get your backside up off your knees. Time to stop mock God
This place has long been a haven for the hypocrites and the corrupt. These “Christians” all dress up for their Sunday trip to the club to wash away their sins of the week. Lord knows what they get up to when they visit the Senegalese.
Big up all the HYPOCRITES AND SHEPOCRITES IN THE BVI. NEVER DO AND NEVER SEE!!!!
How do you form a “church” and get one of these handouts? Ive got my white dog collar and changed my name to Pastor, what else do I need?
Ever thought that the monies was given to help the people in the congregation who was struggling during covid….LOL
It looks like the whole British Virgin Islands going to end up in the Jail House.
Since I born, I never hear so much calamity in my life.
It seems that we have to raise H. Lavity Stoutt from the Grave and let him run the Territory.
I am sure if Lavity Stoutt was around today, all this BS would not be happening.