Governor slams leak of assistance grants audit report
Governor John Rankin has condemned the release of a leaked version of the audit report into the Public Assistance Grants issued by lawmakers and government ministries between January 2019 and May 2022.
The audit was commissioned in the wake of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report which found that assistance grants distributed by members of the House of Assembly were done in a legally arbitrary and unlawful manner.
The report, issued by the Internal Audit Department (IAD) in December 2022, had been tabled in Cabinet and was expected to be released at a later date in redacted format — with the names of individual grant recipients removed — at some point after it had been laid in the House of Assembly (HOA).
But an unredacted version of the document seen by BVI News has been circulated through social media platforms and makes a number of revelations, including a disclosure about the indiscriminate issuance of grants to the families and friends of elected and other public officials.
In a statement issued by the governor late yesterday, he noted that Cabinet confidentiality is paramount, and said steps will now be taken to address the leak.
“I have accordingly ordered the Cabinet Secretary to carry out a leak inquiry in relation to this matter,” Governor Rankin said. “Should any criminal offence have occurred in relation to the leak that will also be a matter for the Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider and take forward as appropriate.”
Program lacked transparency
In the meantime, the IAD pointed out the poor controls in place for HOA Assistance Grants, likening the scheme to an “unorganised welfare programme” which was missing basic tenant of good governance .
The IAD found that for the most part, operations of these programmes did not serve to resolve any socio-economic deficiencies in any communities as the programmes were largely utilised to satisfy individual wants and desires.
“It was largely controlled by elected officials who had little to no oversight and limitations to their discretion. We have concluded that the programmes lack appropriate objectives, control and structure that would promote transparency and accountability,” the IAD said in its report.
The audit report also concluded that the grants programme as operated by the government lacked the basic tenets of good governance, such as accountability, equity and transparency.
“All the programmes lacked clearly defined policy objectives and rules that would guide their functioning,” the report stated. “These programmes operated outside any financial rules for public expenditure on the fallacious belief that elected members exercised unconstrained authority over these funds.”
According to the IAD, the programmes were operated at that level simply because it has always been the argument that elected officials are more in tune with the needs of their constituency.
But the report concluded that even though that argument may hold some validity, that knowledge should have been utilised to inform and formulate policy to meet those needs in a holistic and transparent manner.
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So these cronies received taxpayers money through political abuse and the document was being redacted? The governor himself has no shame. They expose who they want to damage and protect who they want. We will wait to see what comes out of this. The whole VIP government should be held responsible for this.
Mr Governor how so Sir. This is the first time I am in total disagreement. It appears like you are more concern about the leaker that the fact that a criminal offence was committed by those who illegally granted those ungodly amounts to persons who Can well afford. I said Slowman don’t want these reports made public. So leak every last one of them. We the tax payers want to know, it is our monies. Yet these persons saying the politicians can be trusted. Really now..
WHICH IS THE CRIME, THE LEAK OR THE CONTENTS?
This is a distraction from the crookedness and one-sidedness that’s going on
Why try to hide the truth from us the taxpayers???
The number one piece of advice emanating from the COI report was for the UK to suspend the Constitution and take direct control
for a minimum of 2 years, the UK refused to take the advice of it’s own senior advisor. Now, as each month goes by we see the governmental body is rotten from head to toe, and, through a forthcoming election the UK is going to watch as the territory puts these self same individuals back into power. It would appear the COI was a complete waste of time, effort and money.
When they leaking private information in the financial services industry, I do not hear the governor. This is a matter of public concern and we the people of the virgin islands have a right to know! The same silence the governor exercise for Panama papers leak, paradise papers leak and the like (which is a matter of national security), I want him to exercise the same silence here (which is the people’s right to know and to be concerned). Wicked agenda people. Go away!
I am disappointed in you Governor…for not immediately condemning the blatant corruption revealed here…you seem more interested in finding leaks than dealing with this scandal…
Patiently waiting for the next arrest blotter. Thing hot hot hot.
psyop!
What about Marlon and Mitch who agreed to join the VIP essentially rather than go to elections? They are still part of the VIP Cabinet, they only renamed as Unity because of the two new members, but it’s still the VIP Government.
The funniest part is that it’s the Guv himself leaked the document and now acting as if he is concerned. Typical game playing, nothing to see here. Political cronies received monies, some for studies, some for themselves, big deal, everyone is upset because they didn’t get their share not because of money wasted. Noise will be made and the same people will be voted in so that the raiding of the chest can continue. IN other news…………………..
YOU ARE NOT ALONE , IF A CRIME WAS COMMITTED , WHY IS GOVERNOR GOING AFTER THE PERSON WHO EXPOSED THE FACTS ????? / THATS LIKE SOMEONE CALLED THE POLICE AND REPORT A CRIME BEING COMMITTED, AND INSTEAD OF THEM GOING TO INVESTIGATE TO SEE IF ITS TRUE , THEY OPEN AN INVESTIGATION ON WHO MADE THE REPORT INSTEAD , WHAT IS GOING ON ? ? ,( HAS HE BEEN DRINKING ,????
And get rid of this whole corrupt, greedy government…
The Panama Papers Leak was a psyop. It continues today to keep BVI on the black or grey lists while larger nations than ours are not so micro-monitored, particularly, those of 1st world status. Our jurisdiction is the leader in putting legal controls in place which others clip and paste into their own legislations, but we still get hammered. Jehovah do not sleep. He shall have His vengeance against those who are hypocrites. He said in His Word, to call upon His Name in the time of trouble and He will answer. He had answered many times including when those 2 man-made monster storms came. Only 4 known persons died and 125 known persons injured. No 3k to 4k to fill those body bags that came. Millions of angels were in the BVI on Sept 6 and Sept 16, 2017. May Jehovah be praised. He has BVI on His watch. Do not mind the troubles we are facing now. We, BVI, shall be victorious over the enemies, in Jesus name.
In government we place our trust. This includes confidentiality. Same story and the hospital. Thats why people dont trust their business with the hospital.
Proper vetting for students yes but when handing out thousands of dollars every tom di and harry on the street do not need to be involved & in the know.
For those of you who are saying that the names should be published and you need to know there is a concept called “Data Protection “There is even a entire legislation on the matter.Yes it’s our money but some people who received assistance wants to be treated with dignity so that they don’t feel less of themselves.Others may have inherited the grants due to power and position but at the end of the day protocols must be followed to protect someone’s personal data.
P.S some of you just want to know names to talk people business…..
Ayo sure it wasnt the white house that leaked this thing?
Thank you for summing the whole thing up in a few words. The COI was either a waste of time, or they prefer to let the entire BVI and the world know just how corrupt BVI is first by actually revealing the dirt. I hope suspension of the constitution is around the corner. We now see why the biggest blame for our nastiness goes to the colonizer and the majority of people feel independence is the resolution. Can you imagine BVI being independent? The place need exterminating
Crimes detected in the audit must be proven in a court of law; the leak was against Cabinet rules and and is adjudicated by Cabinet.
This governor is a sneaky, old man. I would not put it past him to leak the information
Excellent point
The point of the matter is, there were data leaks in the financial services industry which in the bvi is even more regulated than in the UK and the governor called for public registers, not no data protection act. So now that there are data leaks locally in an unregulated public sector, why not call for the same public registers? Because they more favor going on another witch hunt when it suits them. Let him launch an international investigation to find the culprits behind the Panama/paradise leaks if he really believes in what he is saying. Witch hunt at its best. That is the point.
What would the ministers (and wanna be ministers) say:
Sowande- I made a mistake
Ronnie- I’m confused
Mitch- let’s discuss it in Egypt
Vincent- don’t we have bigger problems like the water and sewerage woes
Shereen- I challenged all of them
Former premier- let us pray.
Amen.
It’s public funds! Thumbs ? up to the leaker. The public has a right to know.
You cannot compare a person’s private medical information with the blatant mismanagement of public funds. No one has any right to release a person’s medical information without their permission. How the government runs is public information
BOTH!!
Britain playing… The kind of insult and disrespect the Governor is getting. It needs to stop. Maybe you all don’t know but this Governor is the one holding off Britain from taking over and asking for more time for us to get it right..We kept failing. Stop blaming other people for our repeated wrong. It simple means the blaming game is working so there is no positive energy to change for the better..Britain will eventually step in..
There is, its called Shredding and deleting. or can’t find.
Shabba Rankin Cousin (twice removed on his father’s side) leak the report. Look at him, he just look guilty. The English famous for counter intelligence and the use of play-back and the media to enforce their objectives
Well, this is sad. Either we are for transparency …or we’re not. It shouldn’t have been a question of being leaked as it should have been made public and available on the government’s website like all other audit and other reports. Poor BVI.
Your counter argument is useless. School or health. Its a public hospital do we post everyone’s data then and accept leaks from it because its public funds? NHI too?
By your logic we should post all government workers salaries along with their names in full not redacted.
There is a new generation of entitlement that’s replaced the old generations idea of entitlement.
The new idea is there is no concept of private in relation to public funds, and governments role is not to benefit the people but to control the people.
We end up paying government to control us and reduce our privacy & rights, see the police bill ect.
Again I say proper vetting yes! But carelessly putting financial information in the public domain is reckless & a betrayal to the citizen who didnt sign up to be put on display or become a target.
Government funds sitting doing nothing to help the people and leaks of confidential information is also mismanagement.
When the police get information they dont release it all to the public even after the cases are done.
They spent time & money but we are rightly not privileged to everyone’s business even though its publicly funded.
Sorry, when the funds in question go to elected government officials families and friends, it should be publicly announced, which, appears to be the case per the comments of people who have seen the unredacted report.
Elections are coming up and many of those named in the report are going to stand.
And the Governor doesn’t want us to know their names?
I have said before that this Governor is weak and seems afraid of the very crooks he is supposed to control.
The un redacted report will be posted on the internet for anyone to read.