LEAKED LETTER: Premier reportedly orders dismissal of BVIHSA officials
A letter has emerged revealing that Premier Andrew Fahie had first-hand knowledge of the situation surrounding the dismissal of two senior officials at the BVI Health Service Authority (BVIHSA) in December. The emergence of this letter follows contradictory utterances from Fahie.
Last Friday, at his one-on-one sitting with the media, Fahie said he could not provide any information on the dismissals as he did not have the details of the matter.
But the letter — which bore the official seal of the Office of the Premier and what appeared to be the his signature — indicates that Fahie orchestrated the dismissals.
In the letter addressed to Health Minister Carvin Malone and dated December 3, 2021, the Premier reportedly told the minister to urgently comply with a list of instructions he (Fahie) then proceeded to outline in the missive.
In the letter, Fahie instructed for, “the Chairman and Board of the BVIHSA be directed to immediately have commenced (sic) a Forensic Audit into the finances and expenditures of the BVIHSA, inclusive of but not limited to payroll system, procurement practices and financial management systems”.
The Premier also instructed Malone to ensure that “the Chairman and Board of the BVIHSA take the appropriate steps and ensure that the officials alleged in the preliminary report to have been involved in fraud and misconduct be immediately placed on administrative leave with full pay pending the outcome of the Forensic Audit, and that suitable persons be appointed to act in those roles”.
Another instruction to Malone was “that the Chairman of the BVIHSA take the appropriate steps to ensure that the Internal Auditor, Ms Fahie, is immediately reinstated to her job and her suspension expunged”.
Fahie further said that if the measures are not implemented, he will be compelled to forward the Preliminary Audit Report to the Commissioner of Police and to call for a criminal investigation into the matters alleged.
The letter — which bore the official seal of the Premier’s Office as well as what appeared to be Fahie’s signature — was copied to the Acting Financial Secretary Jeremiah Frett, the Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Office Carolyn O’Neal-Morton, the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Tasha Bertie and the Chairman of the BVIHSA Board Moleto Smith.
When contacted and asked this evening to very whether the contents of the letter are true, Premier Fahie told our news centre he can only speak for the letter he wrote and not the copy our news team has in its possession. He, however, confirmed making recommendations for some officials to be placed on administrative leave.
BVI News will provide more on the Premier’s comments in a part-two to this developing story.
‘I stand by my statement on BVIHSA situation’, says Fahie after leak
Editor’s Note:
The Chief Executive Officer of the BVIHSA Cedorene Patricia Malone-Smith and Human Resource Manager Levor Lettsome were dismissed from their respective post in the middle of December 2021.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Someone ask me how you know the Premier l**ng, the answer was his lips are moving.
Mr Fahie you need to grow some balls , if you did it you did it.You is the captain of the ship and if you have knowledge about wrong doing take action don’t dodge questions stand firm.
The truth always comes out
The reason a Board is in place is to be able to operate independently from any government minister. Govt ministers cannot tell the Board’s what to do once they are appointed. By law the Boards do not take instructions from the Premier. All he can do is rescind their appointments and put other people. But as usual this Govt oversteps it’s rights. Even the Board’s they appoint are over stepping and trying to run the daily administration of the organizations like hospital, ports and tourist board instead of letting the Managing Directors or CEO do their job. Too much illegal over reaching by this govt. This is why we welcome the COI.
Fundamentally, this is what is not being understood.
The reason the Opposition felt compelled to bring this to the public was not because the situation did not need intervention and decisions were made to ensure this happened.
It was the way it was done and by whom it was done. Completely ignoring the processes and protocols that are in place.
The issue being highlighted is that if the Premier feels that he had the right to do this with this board, then it is an action he will take with any board of any organization in the Virgin Islands that he feels he should.
That attitude does not lead to a democratic process, it suggest and leads to a dictatorship.
And here we are.
The Premier could write what letter he wants, the Board of BVIHSA has to act according to the letter of the law and the standards and policies which govern the Authority. Just as he wrote the letter, unless the Act requires the Board to carry out the Minister’s instructions they could choose to ignore if they disagree.
The REAL story here is that they allegedly suspended the *** when she uncovered fraud and criminal activities by the acting *** and ***. WHAT was going on at BVIHSA?!
Thank God them out of BVIHSA especially that woman
Fahie’s famous quote “no matter how long moonlight run, daylight does ketch it”
Lies too doggone much
So many l**s from this man.
Well you are not the TRADITIONAL and TRANSPARENT government we put in place .
You are WORST than the previous government.We have LOST our TRUST and CONFIDENCE in you as a person and the leader of our country.How can you be doing the underhanded and subversive things to your own people ? That is why the COI should investigate you and how you distributed the Millions to “FARMERS “ for STIMULUS package . Put it in the hands of the police ?♀️ for investigation. You called that BVI LOVE well sah !!!
Is this man for real or he think tha he could keep mammaguying people generation and generation in our western district. When you was in opposition for 8yrs ” them wouldn’t even give me money to clean the road” you now have access to the funds, absolutely NOTHING looks different or enhanced in the district, NOT even the smell of pure Gods given air. NOW ALL of a sudden a whale of a miracle is about to happen road,wall…. and the village flooding that you and the other white will RAPE THE GOVERNMENT OVER AGAIN. Then you will both go to church on Sunday,play music, lift spirits and continue the plan in small talks in THE CHURCH YARD. FOR GODS SAKE ?
Once the Premier’s mouth is moving you know he is not telling the truth. Look at what we have gotten ourselves into by electing this man to be our Premier. We have an incompetent, one man show wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped him in the face. Caught again in another lie. Smh
The COI examined the influence of politicians on the statutory boards and here we have again another example. The report is not even completed yet and here you have Fahie breaking the policies again. And then they expect the country to support going independent under them? They got to be crazy. The VIP is a cancer that needs to be eradicated from the BVI. The whole inner circle gang – Fraud, piggy Wiggy, Beavis, the whole set of them need to be a distanced memory. They have brought nothing but shame and disgrace to the place.
Why was the internal auditor fired by the board?
Is she related to the Premier?
Do we know if the person’s committed a crime?
The math is simple. The internal auditor has alleged that the ceo and hr manager committed fraud and has the audit to prove it. The ceo suspended her, but not before the internal auditor sent her report to the board and the auditor general. The Premier out of order (as usual), but look like he was trying to prevent more bad press when this bvihsa news come out.
This is much more serious than we understand. The UK will be coming shortly to clean house, don’t take my word for it just watch.
He l**s more than he e**s….isn’t that a thing!
Marlon here fool off the residents thinking Andrew lie and he’s not. How people like them sleep at night buddy. All you come for me now.
A press conference for this? Marlon and the paid NDP bloggers desperate for political points.
THIS MAN HAVE A MONEY PROBLEM MON SMH
A tub filled with hot air
“Squirming like a toad”. Really getting entertaining
The people that is in Government that hold Public Relation and other executive position and other duties to represent the Premiers now and before, depend on who it is that call for appointments becomes null and void I can contest to that it happen to me…
And they ask the people to come home! If we know people they are so FAULTY. So this do not surprise me, for people are very capable of wrong doing.
You need to pray against the snakes.
The BVI boards appear to operate without oversight. The hospital staff are speaking for themselves. Suddenly “The auditor is the victim” OK Board you slipping.
Again I wonder. Do only idiots run for office in the BVI or do just idiots vote? Only way to explain any of this.
So tell me Andrew Fahie how are you so quick to send dismiss these folks for wrong doings but when Ex-P** was under investigations for E-*** packages all you did is send her to Ministry of Finance.
That building needs a clean-up, from the head down.
The staff seeing what the higher heads doing cause everyone there is everyone friend no govern no respect. But wait the domestic workers the housekeepers you all aint looking into there salary i was a patient there and is everyminute they cleaning my room, i keep telling her whats there to clean, its sad how they get paid.
I know she’s smiling down from you in heaven (auditor). The bible dont lie you were born for a time like this. The wicked will cease from troubling. Have faith my “one love” people. No animal was killed in the tsunami …. Andrew say your prayers and connect with the animals. Sometimes say “no comment” I will get back with you at an appropriate time.