Focus on COVID-19 delayed BVI Airways report from reaching HOA on time — Governor
Governor Augustus Jaspert has blamed COVID-19 for the Auditory General’s special report on BVI Airways being laid before the House of Assembly outside the stipulated three-month timeframe.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 9, Governor Jaspert said the Auditor General submitted the final report to him on February, 2020.
“I subsequently sought to discharge my duties fully in line with the timescales set out in Section 20 of the Audit Act in referring the report to Cabinet on 23rd April with the intention of it being brought to the House by 7 May,” the governor explained.
He added: “With the focus rightly on our response to Covid-19 this report has understandably taken a while to reach the point of being laid, but I am pleased that the report has now been laid before and discussed by the House of Assembly.”
No HOA discussions on report except for a failed motion
The only discussions had about the report in the House of Assembly is in relation to a motion to reprimand the governor for his reported violation of the Audit Act.
The mover of motion, Opposition legislator Julian Fraser, argued that the governor violated Section 20(2) of the Audit Act when he neglected to deliver the Auditor General’s special report about the BVI Airways within the legally-prescribed three-month timeframe.
Government minister Dr Natalio Wheatley and Fraser were the only two of the 13 elected members of the House who voted in favour of the reprimand.
In the meantime, the House has had no other discussions on the report because the matter is under an active criminal investigation.
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That house of assembly is a complete joke. Instead of discussing the report they preferred to waste time complaining about it been late and writing complaint letter. Covid-19 response takes precedence over a d*mn report that wasn’t even that late given the situation we are in.
The whole House of Assembly nonsense was done to shift the population away from the heart of the matter. The facts are as follows:
1. The leadership in the Territory is to dumb and stupid to lead and make decisions on behalf of the people or
2. The leadership in the Territory is corrupt to the bone. Monies move around from pocket to pocket between family members and cronies.
3. It hasn’t stopped nor will it stop. Take a look how the SSB money went to building “affordable” housing. This is all a joke and only happens with third world countries
The Governor blocked the House of Assembly from discussing the report by sending it to the Police Commissioner first.
He is not supposed to do that. He is supposed to send it to the House of Assembly first and then it can go to the Police Commissioner.
But by sending to the Police Commissioner first (which is probably why he took so long to get it to Cabinet in the first place and why it reached the House almost one month late), the Commissioner was able to say he is investigating it. And under the Standing Orders of the House of Assembly, you cannot discuss anything that is evidence in an active investigation.
Despite many having a problem with the Uk having a governor here at all I would say this guy is probably the best governor We’ve had and despite having a role to play he does have the BVI’s best interest at heart. May god have mercy on the people that can’t see that.
The issue is not the time it took to he housed but the miss management of the whole BVI Airways. 7m here. 15 mil on the roads which washed away during the first storm, 5 mil on the green houses which were never used and nothing grew. here is 27 mil and nothing to show for it. We need good governance on these projects to that the People of the BVI are getting value for money and good workmanship on these projects. I think this Government is going in the right direction and the platform under the RDA for the bid process and transparency is going well.
The Governor blocked the House of Assembly from discussing the report by sending it to the Police Commissioner first.
He is not supposed to do that. He is supposed to send it to the House of Assembly first and then it can go to the Police Commissioner.
But by sending to the Police Commissioner first (which is probably why he took so long to get it to Cabinet in the first place and why it reached the House almost one month late), the Commissioner was able to say he is investigating it. And under the Standing Orders of the House of Assembly, you cannot discuss anything that is evidence in an active investigation.