BVIAA racks up $2M debt in less than 5 months
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn recently expressed surprise when it was revealed that the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA) racked up more than $2 million in debt in a little more than four months this year.
During the most recent sitting of the House of Assembly (HOA), Penn asked Premier Andrew Fahie the extent of the BVIAA’s indebtedness to vendors, contractors and individuals. Penn was then told the debt was $2,155,984.38 from January 1 to May 10, 2021.
Comparatively, the BVIAA’s debt for each of the last two years fell below $2 million for the entire calendar year.
Penn questioned the Premier about the apparent variance in the figures and asked whether the BVIAA was having challenges paying its bills for 2021.
“If it owes two million dollars in five months, it says to me that no bills were being paid,” the Opposition Leader said.
Financial challenges a global issue
The Premier replied that no institution in the world was without challenges with finances at this time.
“There are explanations for these [figures],” the Premier stated, “But those are totally different questions that would need to make sure that we come back with the answer totally.”
Premier Fahie further said those answers are very logical.
“But I prefer to have it directly vetted by the accounting staff at the airport and double-checked by the Ministry of Finance before I reveal what the answer is because I do have knowledge of what the answer is,” Fahie told the HOA.
Offering a further caveat, Premier Fahie said this year’s airline traffic was particularly unusual; slowing down and coming to a complete halt at one stage before resuming at a slower than usual pace – all because of the global pandemic.
He insisted this be kept in mind when considering any figures related to the BVIAA’s indebtedness.
Premier Fahie also informed the House that with no revenue coming into the port, the entity would have continued to be in a deficit.
“The BVI Airports Authority is faced with the challenges of maintaining a suitable revenue stream [needed] to keep them afloat,” the Premier said.
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This man got he own people in stinking sewage so long he here talking about bills. Marlon you mind so c*****t and stink like the sewage. Where the $8 mil gone?
He has a right to ask. They taking out NHI, Social Security and Tax every pay period and they not paying them in to the departments. Employees getting turned down when they file for SS because money is not being paid in.
Time to reveal the big secret tourism plan mr.premier
Why, when the airport is empty, is it renting P*** office space off premises? How much of the dept is owed to her, or is she being paid at the expense of other contractors without her connection to the Premier?
Please COI start reducing the wasteful spending. L***, by her own admittance, has violated the BVI requirement of holding business records for seven years; charge her and get her before the courts!!
Not only renting space … for Admin when there was empty space at the airport ….but also renting chairs … for the new building. Plus all the incompetence up there working. What the h**l L*@e (former fourth district candidate) know bout Airport? what the h**l those two heads of Security know bout airport security? and the list goes on. All of them with hefty salaries racking up the bills. Andrew please bring this ship to shore before it sinks.
Incompetence
Bunch of incompetent people. This VIP administration is the worst government ever. We the people need to stay awake and be vigilant of what is happening around us.
Just from the Chairman of this board to all the other chairman and members of all the boards is a disgrace and slap in our faces.
When is election?
Is it incompetence…..or fraud, theft, politrix and cronyism?
Why the Premier have to wait to reveal the reason behind the extraordinary increase in debtedness and he already knows the reason?
Why was P***y given monies every month to rent space to BVIAA (and not only BVIAA), when there is no need?
Why is there so many unqualified people working on the board of directors, plus other sham positions created for Andrew’s brain dead drones.
If I could like this comment 10k times. Guess which other Stat body has sham positions? You guesed it.
Remember, he is building a racetrack on Beef Island, so a lot of people will be flying in for that. Also, he is negotiating with several airlines for increased airlift. Then there are all the cruise ships that will be based in the BVI.
yeah, right…
What else do you expect from Covid-19? Some of you behave as if the BVI is protected from the financial challenges brought on worldwide by covid to all countries and their governments. BVI is still doing good.
You sound like an IDIOT! The reality is our financial services revenue which accounts for over 60% of our revenue is still holding strong despite COVID, which is why our Government can continue spending like drunken sailors. Nobody is expecting perfection especially in this new era of COVID but how can Government justify spending like crazy when the priority areas are ignored. The Government does not have a COVID or revenue problem, they have a management and spending problem.
Exactly. Every business cuts expenses when income goes down. Not this Government, which continues to spend on useless rubbish and ignores our crumbling infrastructure. Have Dean Greenaway get 12 talented individuals to join him, so that they can stand for election and start to fix this place. It’ll be a landslide
when shall we learn?
http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1058280689&Country=Virgin+Islands+(British)&topic=P_1
Airport must be in debts…you have a set of heavy salary people up there aint doing shit a day time…f*t albert send he retired body guard up there to entertain everybody a day time the man literally does NOTHING …NOTHING>>>