Lawmakers unaware relatives applied for grants — Penn
Some lawmakers have argued that the latest report from the Auditor General’s Office lacked context, suggesting that critical information was needed from legislators to add a better picture to the report.
The audit report on the House of Assembly’s (HOA) COVID-19 Assistance Grants distributed in 2020 was debated last week by elected officials and one of the disclosures made in the report was that lawmakers helped the family members of other legislators to receive tens of thousands of dollars in grants. This highlighted a clear conflict of interest in the distribution of the grants.
In some instances, close relatives and partners of HOA members were able to receive grants from several different lawmakers for the same purpose. Several of those grants also topped out at the $5,000 maximum amount that applicants were allowed to receive under the grant initiative.
Among other things, grant recipients got assistance for vehicle purchases and repairs, payment of credit cards and telephone bills, outstanding bills, school fees and hurricane preparedness and recovery.
We had no clue
But Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn offered some push back on this criticism, pointing out that singling out lawmakers might have been unfair in some instances. He added that elected officials were largely unaware that their own family members applied for and received grants from other elected officials because of the confidentiality exercised in the application process.
“It’s impossible for you to know every member of your family that applied to another member for assistance. In fact, we were prohibited from knowing, because no member… was able to see any other member’s applications, what they were given to other members, and how that was distributed,” Penn said.
He continued: “Members, most of the time, had no clue — I, for certain, didn’t have any idea that a family member of mine might have applied to another member for support or assistance.”
According to Penn, his name was absent from the list in the report because he was clear with his family from the outset that they should not write to him for any grants. However, he said he sympathised with other lawmakers whose names appeared on the list.
While questioning the fairness of the distribution policy, Penn said being a member of two or three of the biggest families in the territory may have prevented persons who legitimately needed assistance from getting that help.
He, however, welcomed the transition of assistance grants away from House of Assembly members to the Social Development Department and said this was something he had always called for.
“I think the programme that we knew it as should go back to us having the ability to give and do small projects and community activities within our constituencies from that programme,” Penn argued. “We transitioned to that and I think that is the right step in terms of what we’ve done.”
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Hear this one now. Once he is the leader of NDP it will go nowhere.
Again, the entire observation that the audit made was that the processes to provide context were ignored! All of these politicians are so defensive that they ignore the major point being made. The auditors cannot discover this context because the processes that would provide context were ignored so there’s no hard evidence of that context.
Even then the idea that ministers were not aware of their family receiving grants is hard to believe. Some of the funds these people were given were life changing.
So the minister would not have know that her Guyanese boyfriend had applied for money to pay his/their credit card? Really? She would not have know that her mother, who she lives with, applied and received multiple grants while receiving payment for a consultancy and still getting her pension? Really? She would not have know that her sister applied for a grant either? Marlon, please stop it.
All involved with this scheme need locking to hell up
BUT STILL GOT FREE MONEY FROM THIS FEAST
Some people just wanted money to buy food for their kids and got Zero meanwhile some people get money to fix car, pay phone bills and repair homes and they were working still. The people who needed the help most and lost their jobs got zero !!
ARREST WHOEVER NEED ARRESTING FOR FRAUD….FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
Nothing short of a conman mentality. These politicians actually think the entire public can be manipulated. He got D8 people
So mental it working for him. It got the most mad people. This dumb bread roach.
Judge ,jury and the accused all at the same time , what’s the point of a debate, what are they going to decide to do prosecute themselves ?
to justice as well!
Salt no matter who you pick… All of them is the same.
I like Marlon but sometimes being quiet is the best bet. WTF?
There were/are people who lost everything during this period, no income, food, unable to pay rent, provide for their children and were not even eligible to apply or aware they could have applied. There were legitimate persons in need who applied and were denied. This is a crime against humanity!
The slackness has been going on for years, but times are changing and the slackness must stop! Some people have all the energy for colonial talk,but no energy for what really matters in the BVI.
Every week I lose every last drop of respect for another politician. Not only do they misdirect and lie, but they clearly think we’re stupid.
Let us say for argument sake that what Marlon is saying is making sense (although it does not…the requests should be considered as a committee and that way you will be able to identify who applied twice and if your family member on list, there should be clear record that you abstained from voting or from exerting any influence over the vote). Anyhow, let us say he making sense for argument sake, a very large chunk of money was allocated to him as district office funds. Perhaps he would be inclined to disclose how he arrived at that amount and how the funds would have been distributed. Does he not know about that too? Time for Myron to take back the chairmanship. Myron is innocent. I expect to see at least 2 people charged this week, including Sh@r!3 D3 D3c@5tro. THIEVES AND LIARS!
I am sick and tired of these people insulting our intelligence.
The less you say the better you sound. All who give and get money should be responsible for paying it back.
come on man
Stop the stupidness!!!
The announcement for grants ran on the radio publicly for MONTHS!! Not only that there was an PUBLICALLY ANNOUNCED EXTENSION.
There is no crime in giving to people in need, you obviously didnt need it or obviously dont live here…. woah.
No way this site for so many comments on a slow article when they couldnt even get 5 comments on the hot article…. sussss
Ignorantia juris non excusat. Ignorance of the law is not excuse.
Check out the truth!
https://viconsortium.com/vi-investigations/virgin-islands-from-breast-reduction-funding-to-109k-for-living-expensive-of-legislature-gross-waste-of-public-funds-in-bvi-unveiled-in-audit
The little minister was been groomed by Fahie. Their mother knows the dirty trade. What do you expect? They were taught to get education with no integrity or moral.
The report is contentious and controversial and must be considered flawed and biased politically.
This is hilarious but not funny. These are the cats that pushing independence? Most people would rather gladly stay with the UK than this bunch of cookie monsters.
Why shouldn’t the politicians think we’re stupid? Don’t we continually vote for them, believing in their promises time over time? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Isn’t that how the saying goes? They are easily able to manipulate and mamaguile us and get us protesting that we don’t want British oversight or control. Doesn’t that mean we’re stupid?
Yea HC.
Once this doesn’t fit your narrative, it don’t fit your agenda.
We know they are crooks. We know they steal our money. We know they will never stop.
But what can we do?
Nothing.
Only one man has the power to end this.
But he is too weak to do it.
And look how the same people received funds from several persons in government. There you are holding that little girl in such high esteem and look at how she distributed the funds to people who received grants already.
The fact that he thinks people will believe this bu****it speaks volumes about his intelligence, or total lack of it.
https://bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/hoa_covid-19_assistance_grants_report_-_aud_gen_amended_8_june_23.pdf?mibextid=Zxz2cZ
Share it, link it, read it outloud
Link to the report
Nothing in the AG’s Report says definitively that MP or any other minister knew that their family members participated in the grant scheme. It appears to insinuate that those executing the processes facilitated the applicants.
https://bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/hoa_covid-19_assistance_grants_report_-_aud_gen_amended_8_june_23.pdf?mibextid=Zxz2cZ
And then say no one knew. Smh
This is so BVI. Nobody take responsibility for Nothing. There seems to be no consequences for Anything.
This is just the normal game plan. When you get caught red handed, denied all, sweep under carpet, not my baby, same old sad story.
Head Coach should have stayed home. He would fit right in with this bunch!
We need Buddha in control noww
I wonder how she can stand in front of a room of teachers with a straight face.
Both sides need to be prosecuted if not chastised. Giver and receiver backsides.
I endorsw this message 150%
Yep he best speak for himself and let these other man defend themselves. They know exactly what they did.
They didn’t know? Seriously?