Double dipping! Audit finds same grant issued multiple times
A lack of cross-ministry communication and collaboration in government assistance grant programmes meant that applicants received assistance from multiple programmes for the same purpose, with some receiving even more funds than requested in some instances.
This was revealed in the report of an audit conducted into Public Assistance Grant programmes controlled by lawmakers and government ministries between January 2019 and May 2022 and submitted in December 2022 by the government’s Internal Audit Department (IAD).
Over $10M awarded by former Premier alone
Over the period, the government awarded over $22.9 million in assistance grants across three ministries and the House of Assembly (HOA), with the lion’s share of that disbursement – some $10.7 million or 47 per cent – being awarded solely by former Premier Andrew Fahie. The audit also found that 39 per cent was awarded by 13 members of the House of Assembly.
The audit, which was conducted by the government’s Internal Audit Department (IAD) and submitted in December 2022, showed that, for the most part, the transfer of these funds were not governed by any financial rules contained in any legislation or other financial instructions approved by the government or handed down by any administrative body.
It was further noted that none of the programmes have any eligibility criterion which meant that persons from all social classes applied for and received assistance from all the programmes.
“Although all public finance is governed by the rules of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, 2004 and Public Finance Management Regulations, 2005, expenditure under Assistance Grants Programmes are not specifically governed by these rules,” the audit report noted.
Duplicated grant programmes
The review found that these grants programmes are duplicative in nature and noted that recently drafted guidelines for administration of the Premier Office’s grants programme are almost identical to the guidelines used for the House of Assembly.
The report found no transparent reasoning why multiple programmes would exist that support the same purpose.
Citing the example of educational assistance grants, the audit showed that such grants were not only administered by the Ministry of Education, but could also be obtained from the Premier’s Office and the House of Assembly.
According to the report, housing assistance in the wake of the hurricanes of 2017 was offered through the Housing and Recovery Programme administered by the Ministry of Health and Social Development.
But the audit showed that the same assistance could be obtained through the Ministry of Communications and Works and the Premier’s Office as well as the House of Assembly.
The programmes also lacked, for the most part, any limitation on the amounts that can be awarded whether individually (one-time award) or collectively (multiple awards to same applicant) during a specified timeframe. As a result, some applicants received in excess of $50,000 in a single payment, the report showed.
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It is called GREED
So all 13 HOA members received these illegal grants from 2019 to Fahie’s arrest in 2022. Perhaps all these members are now ineligible for all future elections due to the BVI most popular crime; breach of trust!
So what!!!! our people benefitted so to h**l with the haters
Hopefully it is CRYSTAL CLEAR that the BVI in UNABLE to self govern without CORRUPTIONS and MISMANAGEMENT
10million dollars! Yet he was the one making Myron look corrupt for having a wall built around the school to protect our children for less than 1 Million. You see how God is revealing all the nastiness.
The whole VIP, not just Andrew, is responsible for this callous behaviour. They all benefitted. Let us what happens to them.
Hear this m** m**!
Miss WEBSTER expose their asZis ,@ XXX , WHO IS ” OUR PEOPLE ” look in the mirror , just don’t forget to put on your wig
There is a difference between identifying the few who did not deserve the grants versus condemning the entire grants system. Obviously, it was not unusual for one to seek a grant from multiple ministries so it could be that of the total required, one Ministry would be applied to for 20% of it, then another for another 20%, etc. I am sure in most cases, the reason for the grant was relevant to the ministry. There is a big big difference between scrutinizing the abusers and scrutinizing the system altogether. Right now, the focus is on the abusers.
@xxx What a warped mentality!!!
Let Al the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out.
Can we please just stop trying to justify wrong doing? It is not who deserves from who does not deserve. It is a matter of how they were processed. How can you give a grant before the applicant is even approved by the university? How? Start there. Some persons got more money than they applied for. So the public funds is a free for all then, because this person deserves it? This is the kind of mentality that have our heads in the sand because we try to justify every b.s
Those who hating on our college students and trying to justify Myron 2 million wall it’s not going to work
There is a reason why he is arrested and charged
Still waiting on our increment.
All this corruption in a small place that’s not even Independent as yet. What will happen when there’s noboby to order a COI? All indigenous or non-indigenous need to pray and bawl for their grandchildren, unless they born in the USA!
Reading is fundamental. This report is from Internal Audit not the Auditor General..
Lock up these mother f**g corrupt politician. What nonsense the governor talking about leaks. Things like this should not be kept secret. We need to know if it is Snakes we have in government or Human beings. These mongrels are not human because if they were they will recognize that all humans are Equal. They need to be exposed. I don’t give a sh*t that they are exposed through leaks.
Where goodness is rare and badness is popular. So blame the few good people for doing good and all the bad ones shout yeaaa, stone them.
All in favour of having the UK take over for at least 2 or 3 years, before these fools be the death of all of us, hit the thumb up bottom, if not hit the thumbs down.
Perhaps, we should write directly to the UK begging them to take over. Let’s start a petition.
There is also a reason why the head coach of the VIP has been charged and still locked up. When you rotten from the Head, the whole body ROTTEN to the core.
By the way, nobody else reached CNN Newsroom, but head coach. That speaks volumes!!!!
This is to the UK and the Governor of the British Virgin Islands, when are you going to realize as long as you don’t take over for a few years the corruption will continue, save the people of the BVI and take over for a few years.
They’re all ours
When would we as a people stand up!!!!
You are quite correct, they all benefited because they were sending people to collect the excess cash given to some people when they learn about it. Tis ting to talk!
Some of them even got way more than the colleges cost, unless they are all are at Harvard and Stanford.
When I went to school I had to produce transcript etc to get funds. What mess is this.
Thats so that the VIP could stay in power indefinitely.
Still looks like FIFA/CONCACAF round here
That’s a lot of money giving away to people living in a sh!t hole
This is what we call drain the swamp
People will still open their eyes and support the party who was privy to this ? Well the BVI gone crazy No
Man
Well sah …. That captain SINK the SHIP ?
carry the boat to rock bottom with corruption
Sam said the green represent money … So he was spending out money right , left and center
Wrong, let me fix this statement for you , A particular set of people benefited from this, to h@ll with the greedy
Thats why the government workers cant get a raise and if that officer had not put it in The news police would not have gotten their increments last year. These people have to be investigated in every departmwnt they run cause the have puppets wirking for them. Start with human resources and why it take so long for police and teachers to get their increments. No police no teachers lets vuild a lawless country. Results all unsolved murders
Question?
Is Public Assistance Grants under the Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Social Development Department ?
Just asking a question?