Bank of Asia appeal to Governor just a “political show” — Smith
Junior Minister for Financial Services Lorna Smith has strongly criticised Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn for appealing to Governor Daniel Pruce over the Bank of Asia investigation, calling the move a “show” and urging respect for existing local processes.
Speaking during a recent House of Assembly sitting, Smith said the matter is already being addressed through proper regulatory and investigative channels.
“I firmly reiterate that I support government decisions on this matter,” Smith stated, referring to the ongoing issues surrounding a $5 million government deposit into the failed bank. “The regulator and the liquidator are taking action, and we await their report,” she explained.
She added that Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley had already called for the internal auditor and Auditor General to investigate and report their findings.
“I was very taken aback when the Leader of the Opposition stated that he had asked the governor to intervene in this matter,” Smith stated. “As the saying goes, I was gobsmacked.”
Smith said the move contradicted the opposition’s usual stance of resisting colonial overreach.
“Here we are, on the one hand, with the opposition demanding that we stay firm in the face of colonial decisions made by the United Kingdom. And on the other hand, we are asking the Governor to intervene every time there is a need for clarity or we do not agree with a decision,” she argued.
Smith pointed to the systems already in place for accountability, highlighting the role of the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor General.
“This House of Assembly has the mechanisms that you would expect of a sophisticated legislature. So why not use them? Why this show? Because that is all it is,” Smith insisted.
Walwyn previously raised concerns over the lack of transparency surrounding the government’s multi-million-dollar deposit into the troubled Bank of Asia. He rejected the Premier’s call for an internal audit, arguing that such reviews are not subject to public scrutiny.
“What we need is an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the people’s five million dollars, one that the public can trust,” he stated. “Therefore, I am publicly calling on the Governor to have this matter investigated.”
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This woman has no shame. That’s it and that’s all.
It’s not credible that they claim not to know who authorized the deposit of $5 million into this scam. Of course they know. My deep suspicion is that is that the Minister of Finance would have had to have authorized it. Or are they telling us that civil servants can just dispose of our money as they feel?
So 5M of taxpayers money went into a failing bank deliberately and it is a political show for questions to be asked about? This is unbelievable
This stinks to high heaven! All the dog and pony shows and we the people are swept away in a deluge of corruption that goes unpunished. We are ignored and marginalized while we suffer the loss of money relating to these people’s nefarious acts!
I am SO SICK OF HOW THESE LEADERS GET AWAY WITH THIS $HIT ENDLESSLY. NO ACCOUNTABILIOTY WHATSOEVER. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? HOW DO WE THE PEOPLE ALLOW THIS? WE GET NOTHING! WE LOSE OUR COUNTRY’S REVENUES WHILE THESE POEPLE WALK AWAY AND GET RICH.
AND THOSE WITH CLEAN HANDS SHOULD WELCOME IT – ALL THOSE WHO STILL WANTS TO CRUCIFY HIM ON THE FIASCO THAT REALLY WENT DOWN EHIND THE SCENES ON WHY THE WALL WASN’T FINISHED BY THE SAME PEOPLE WHO IS STILL WORKING FOR THIS SAME GOVERNMENT IS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT / TAXPAYERS MONEY WAS PAID TO THEM / SO WHY ISN’T THOSE PEOPLE NOT BEING MADE TO COMPLETE THE JOB OR RETURN OUR TAXPAYERS MONEY ??? ) BUT PEOPLE
AEMRE ANGRY BECAUSE HE CHOOSES TRANSPARENCY / WHEN HE INVESTIGATED ,THE WIGGED ONE HAD ALREADY FOUND HIM GUILTY , AND NOW WE ARE DEALING WITH 5 MILLION HE QUIET LI A LAMB / TRANSPARENCY IS NO AN OFFENCE – ITS ABOUT GETTING TO THE TRUTH / SO WHY IS IT SO PAINFUL ??? TAXPAYERS HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THE REAL TRUTH .
The “wall contracts” were given out under Petty Contracts if I am recalling correctly.
If the contractual obligations were not fulfilled, then those named contractors of those particular contracts would be in breach of contract. Shouldn’t this now be treated as a legal matter? If persons simple did their jobs we would avoid a lot of this mess.
So who are you blaming for them “being paid and not carrying out the work”?
This topic was also “covered” by the COI. They asked for persons to come forward with info. Why didn’t you come forward then? Or you prefer and internal audit?
you guys gave 5 million dollars to a bank that was failing, this is criminal
I am 100% with Hon Walwyn on this issue.
Why Hon Smith is on the other other side of the fence on this issue,leaves me conflicted and with doubt about her integrity . Troubling!
Luana has named the perpetrators of this fraud as her ‘close personal friends’.
You clowns can’t see that she benefited someway, somehow and her family as well!!! Why would she endorse any other investigation into this scheme without her and the A$$ Cl0wNS Brigade (Nat, Vinny,SCARY, Goose, Starl, $Kyie and PartHead) controlling the outcome and burying this along with BGI airways and the countless other corrupt scandals.
The public are the REAL LOSERS!! Change these clowns and make examples of them and let the stink putrid air of corruption dissipate!
i think there’s systems in place to have avoided this but as usually yall either jump over it or plotted schemes so i dont trust we system thanks!
our own people got us enslaved and fooled not the UK!
As trump woulda cry, “its a witchhun”. His day of reckoning will come. Maybe not in the eyes of the corrupt system, but his day will come. All of you who want to be wrong and nobody say nothing, your day will come too.
If you did nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear
Interesting @trump mentality. I would have said she is taking a page out of trump’s book…”files? What files?”…oh well.
The over sights that Lorna is talking about investigating this issue are the VIP people. She is a hypocrite. Investigation should be carried out by an independent agency
Heads should have already rolled – long time. This is beyond sickening. Happening too often now with not an iota of accountability.
The offenders full well know that all we like sheep will let the wrongdoing pass by – once again – and they take advantage of us.
Why do we continue to sit back and allow this to happen?
The excuses about an “audit” are insulting to the people of the territory. An audit is a process used to determine whether “the books balance,” meaning funds coming in and going out properly align and any stated transactions are properly accounted-for. By its very nature, it’s “investigational.”
This is NOT a situation where the transaction at issue is any kind of a mystery. A bookeeper can answer the relevant questions here – there is no need for an ‘audit.’ We know what happened and it’s only about nailing down when it happened, who authorized it, and who carried out the transaction. All of those questions can and should be answered by now.
The government cabal of privateers and incompetents is just trying to run out the clock and hope that the furor dies down……
As I see it, what are we investigating? The Premier said that $5 million public funds was deposited into the Bank of Asia. He is the Minister of Finance and there is evidence that Hon. Smith was also involved and she has admitted as much. So what are we investigating again?
I know exactly what to do as election is coming up very soon, but do we understand that every year this Government is spending upwards of $400 million dollars for there are multiple SAPs each year and we cannot see value for money anywhere even with our glasses or the old people used to say specs on? We have to stop letting them into our Treasury for we are soon going to be broke and driving on dirt road without electricity and water soon. We have to be serious about our country and stop voting for people because they are nice and walk among you every day smiling and talking onsense. Vote for who can do the job of properly running this country. In fact, those who have properly ran this country in the past didn’t have time to hobnob. Too much work to be done.
is the time to start collecting ALL the passports of ALL the persons involved with this Bank of Asia scandal before they flee this jurisdiction.
These the same people that singing independence every day remember that.
So y’all the people are foool enough to try and get independence…when the fall out happens please don’t say “there were no signs” cuz this is just one of many..
Imagine you have a savings account at a local bank and all of the savings disappeared and when you go the head office to ask questions the one of the bank representative come ask you why you went to the head of office to ask questions about your missing money and who to blame for it…as if you didn’t just lose a huge sum of money out of thin air and nobody taking responsibility.
BETTER THEY HAD PUT THAT 5 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE HORSE TRACK
These people come to us Angels. As our Eyes closed or they think we cannot see, or we are stupid, They take it all, Just like the white men taking the Bible to Africa they gave us the Bible and took it all,
Shame on her. All self and not for country
The governors office should have already been looking into this. Nobody don’t have no confidence in no internal investigation more than likely it’s just a stall tactic. Who knows how long this “internal investigation” going to take. you telling me you need to investigate for months to provide basic information like who authorize the money to go there? We going to be waiting on that report just like how we still waiting on the report on the economic impact of the music festival that had flop or the vybz kartel concert he basically paid for. The premier promises reports all the time but when what there is to report is bad you just never hear about it again. If the governor’s office is going to just ignore matters like these then what is the point of the governor and his office here?
THAT WAS FUNNY REAL FUNNY I HAD TO SIT DOWN / AND IF I MAY ADD – IT SHOULD BE PASTOR VIN-E & NAT- A – HERO & D SCARECROW – FOR ( 3RD DISTRICT REP
LORNA HODGE-CREQUE-SMITH PLEASE. SAVE THE DAM TALK.