One-sided affair! Malone, Wheatley criticise EZ Shipping audit report
Ninth District Representative Vincent Wheatley and Territorial At-Large Member Carvin Malone have heaped criticism on the Auditor General’s report on contracts for static marine platforms between the Andrew Fahie-led Virgin Islands Party government and EZ Shipping in 2020.
The two former ministers called the report one-sided and suggested that it unfairly tarnished the reputation of EZ Shipping’s owners and could destroy their livelihood.
EZ shipping was paid more than $2 million for use of three of its barges – Midnight Stone, Midnight Czar and Midnight Chief – as radar platforms between September 2020 and January 2021. But according to Auditor General Sonia Webster, payments were made to EZ Shipping that also covered two months when the barges were not used. Webster’s report noted that records show that use of the radar platforms ceased in November 2020.
The audit concluded that incorrect information was provided to the National Security Council (NSC) and Cabinet to facilitate approval of the contracts and support unearned payments of more than $700,000.
In the meantime, Wheatley argued that representatives for EZ Shipping were never interviewed for the AG’s audit report.
“We’re not talking about $700, [No], $730,000. You want us to believe that somebody got paid that money and nothing was [done], for no service?” Wheatley asked.
Wheatley said he had a serious problem with this and argued that some persons end up in trouble for non-payment of National Health Insurance (NHI) and Social Security. He further argued that persons should not rush to judgment after only hearing one side of the situation.
“You could do a report and one side saying that this company got all this money, and their barges were parked up? We have to be careful,” argued Wheatley who, along with Malone, were executive members within the Fahie administration that approved these contracts.
Meanwhile, Malone said there was something mystical about saying that EZ Shipping had three months of engagement even as their barges were not being used.
“The directions of Sir Gary Hickinbottom seem to have been well carried out by the Auditor [General] and she needed not to have taken instructions but they were done anyway and they were given to the Governor,” Malone said.
He added: “With all of the reports, let us be balanced in these. The other side of the story is important.”
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I suspect that there is something wrong with the EZ shipping contracts, but the fact that the Commissioner and the Auditor General are only interested in a pre-determined conclusion and not the underlying evidence is worrying.
It makes it look that EZ is being framed when if the evidence (both sides) was considered it mig he be guilty anyway.
The Commission was so one sided that the UK Govt was embarrassed enough to reject its primary recommendation to suspend the constitution. Will they have to do the same with the AG’s report?
It would probably be safe to let the DPP prosecute because she seem incapable of doing so successfully and then everybody can blame her. The UK and BVI Govt will want to keep her in office rather than replace her with somebody more competent because failure suits them both in this instance. Politics is a nasty business.
I’m starting to think this news publication is inherently and deliberately biased. Everything is always taken out of context to solicit readers and evoke a skewed perspective of what was actually said. I would encourage persons to actually listen to HOA to grasp what was actually said.
Well said. Every story has three sides, and a public document and reports should always contain all three sides to ensure balance, fairness, and to protect one’s democratic rights and reputation on all sides and be void of bias.
The report is on the right track but a lot of thing are unanswered. We need more clarity. But she is on the right track. She just need to tie up all the loose ends and bring more clarity to her findings. When that is done then I will have a say. What I will not do is bash the company base on this incomplete report. I find her reports are mostly always incomplete. They are never fully transparent. The most important details with concrete evidence are never there and are always left out or just not found. Still the reports are published .
Slowly, slowly, the BVI is going back to the same old, same old with corruption being justified by the loudest voices and those with any integrity remaining silent and, thus, in collusion.
I can’t wait for both of them to be voted out
I was thinking the same thing. And I’ll even go as far as to say it is bias. Base on who owns it. ?
An audit only looks at paperwork, actual records, not anything else. The audit was of what our Government filed, period! Interviews will occur once it becomes a criminal investigation and will be performed by people whose job it is to do so.
Stop dissing the only person in Government who understands the boundaries of her position and is professional enough to stay within the confines.
You obviously didn’t listen to HOA you don’t deserve to vote is your head so far up your tunkie
Wheatley, you were trying to rationalize why it is ok to give belongership to a rapist. Why on earth i would take your point of view on anything…idiot!
“some persons end up in trouble for non-payment of National Health Insurance (NHI) and Social Security”
Really?
I cannot recall anyone being called to account for this.
Can anyone cite even one case?
So these man still cant admit it was a colossal waste of taxpayer money.
Forget that. The most important question for me was why EZ shipping hired in the very first place? The Uk was going to provide boarder security for free and were well equipped to do so, yet a shipping company was hired to do so. Why?
Something is very wrong with that picture.
And to add insult to injury, a whopping 2 million was reportedly paid over 4 months for their services. That was outrageous and a misuse of government funds in my view!
The question that needs to be answered here is: Why was a shipping company paid 2 million dollars over 4 months for boarder security when the UK navy was going to do so freely?
Somebody needs to be held accountable for that. The VIP made a lot of noise over the “plane” and the so called 7 million spent on that failed endeavor.
To them I ask what about this 2 million dollars spend on a shipping company? How do you justify that expenditure? Do you think that was an appropriate hire, and do you think that amount of money paid over 4 months is justifiable?
Something $tinks to high heavens about that entire deal. Audit aside, that fiasco is wordy of further investigation imo.
There would be no “one-sided” auditor general report on this matter if the UK was allowed to provide those border security services for free in the first place.
I have no concerns with the smoke screeds. The real question is…Is there enough evidence to justify a through criminal investigation?
These comments from Sl** Wande and Maloney just show why they shouldn’t have the roles that they currently do. The report is asking the AG to further investigate. They should be in agreement for a further audit to get to the bottom of this. Only a full audit can exonerate any perceived wrong doing
The long and short of this whole thing with EZ Shipping that the VIP ministers and others are trying to justified if they had taken the offer of the UK ships which is trained to Gard borders then there wouldn’t be any reason for an audit. Remember the ship was free. All of this crap that is going should show the Governor and the UK these HOA ministers have no intentions of changing every week we are finding out more and more about the corruption in this place will never stop if the UK or the Governor don’t do anything about it.
These two would be smart to let this rest..It can only get worse. For starters these barges were hired unnecessarily and suspiciously in order to facillitate illegal and criminal activities.. The public knew and knows that, the EX Premier knows that, the UK and the owners of EZ Shipping and we the Public we all know…how much they were paid,pales compared to why they were engaged by our Government to do the impossible as their barges are not equipped with what would have been the necessary tools and equipnent,
They (*EZ Shipping) deserve to go belly up as knowing and cooperative paid participants in the darkest history and current events of these VI courtesy of the VIP Elected Government.
Let them take that in their tail. When Myron was shouting about how poorly written, unbalanced and untruthful the report on ESHS wall was you all took it and played politics out of it rather than addressing the obvious issues at the audit department. Now that it is happening to you all all of a sudden it’s not fair and balanced. Malone was eating popcorn at that time and asking for extra butter. I hope he eating popcorn now with more extra butter. The politicians we have here don’t have any principles. Their views on things are based on what is expedient at the time. This is why nothing improves in the country. Take your licks now and shut up!
I sticking with the auditor report. These politicians making a lot of noise but they havent brought any evidence to prove that the report is wrong.
Bunch of airbags.
I get sick hearing politicians defending wrong doing. It seems to me that they have little concern about the Order in Council. How could Wheatley, Malone, Wheatley and Fraser chastize the Auditor General for confirming what the records in Government reflect. She can only write her report based on the evidence in the Government offices, especially about the contracts issued by Government. Her job is not to question the person who got the contract. That will come if criminal charges are laid, and the matter reaches to the court. THAT WILL BE THE WORK OF THE COURT. What is clear is that something went wrong with EZ Shipping contract, for the evidence showed that the Comptroller of Customs refused to sign off on a period that the Barge (s) of EZ Shipping should have worked. THAT IMMEDIATELY RAISES A RED FLAG. So, the Financial Secretary needs to answer the question as to WHY WAS PAYMENT MADE FOR THE PERIOD THAT THE COMPTROLLER OF CUSTOMS REFUSED TO AUTHORISE. SOMETHING HAS TO BE WRONG WITH OUR POLITICIANS WHO CANNOT SEE NO WRONG WITH THIS.
The “Free Money Handouts Team” rising to defend their spendthrift management of the taxpayers’ money.
They’re not part of the solution, so they must be part of the ‘what’?
INDEFENSABLE!!!
A number of individuals in House critique this matters as one-sided but bvinews always seems to choose to misrepresent what Malone and Wheatley says by taking their remarks out of context. The reporter is heavily biased
Plain and simple. Here are two disgruntled has-beens attempting to impress upon the public their sense of virtue and concern. We will note the absence of any concern while they were in office and benefited from the same corrupt regime. Perhaps these two along with skeleton cline should be heavily audited.
VIP has to protect the family of EZ because that’s allegedly where their campaign financing comes from! So they dare not throw them under the bus like how they did CSC. He ain’t have no money to give them so it is easy to crucify him but hard to do the same to that company and family. Sadly this is a return to the same old corrupt style of politics. We still have not learned from the COI! The same behavior Head Coach, Malone, Wheatley went on with in COI, is the same behavior they going on with now. A hyena cannot change it’s spots!
Why are we arguing about paying millions of dollars for two “civilian untrained locally run barges” to police the BVI waters when the “British Navy” offered to assist us in policing our boarders for free, and it would have been done properly.
The only side to the story is the taxpayer not getting value for their money once again.
Absolutely correct. Can I give you one hundred upvotes?
Yes, it would be the work of the Court to question EZ Shipping. And something is massively wrong if these two politicians can’t see that this contract was somewhat “fishy”, but went ahead and agreed to it anyway……
These two should vacate now to save embarrassment.
They will most likely be voted out at the ballot box.
Just give me the 2 mil.
The two of you guys just love all the corruption that’s going on
Investigate these issues thoroughly, put these issues to rest, seems like a lot of kick backs were involved now we have corrupt politicians trying to tell us that the black we see is green..
A bit overly sensitive aren’t they. It’s shows they’re nervous and that UK is getting close.
That is not true and you all need to stop it. An audit will contain only the information and facts presented to them. If there is more evidence that they did not get that isnt the auditors fault. They should come forward with the evidence and then the audit can be amended. Dont let those guys who signed off on nonsense make you or anybody else a fool
Ask where the last VIP campaign meetings were held and who were in attendance.
They’re defending because they want funding for their campaign again and that’s their family.
Not even family members of these whatever, can feel justified voting for them. I am appalled by their support for ridiculousness.
It would be very interesting to see the revenue of this company for the year preceding this period compared to the $2million for 4 months work.
You hit the nail on the head!!!
CORRUPT TO THE CORE AND NO SHAME ABOUT IT!
They have NOT learnt from the COI.
Bad example for the future generation.
It seems someone woke the sleeping dog at Malone and Wheatley’s front door once again. Pass the popcorn please.
Unless new people stand the BVI will end up with the same people who have stolen a fortune and left the country with terrible infrastructure despite being a rich place. IF the old people are re-elected, then the world’s financial sector will conclude that corruption and money-laundering is endemic (which it presently is) and add the BVI permanently to the “bad boys” list. Bye-bye prosperity.
That was wonderfully ut ? , but they are doing one good thing , they are slowly revealing their true identity , by defending the SQUANDERING of taxpayers money ,we now has to wonder , what other skeletons they have in their closets ?????? ? ?
Them out. 2 co**upt arrogant l**rs. We the people from Tortola, Anegada, VG and JVD and isles in between, deserve better representation. Dear Governor, have these 2 audited and investigated too. And the Ministry of Education for doing a horreñdous job with the schools
I thought I saw you in the Mika Barry video. Why allege that you are a human trafficker. Were they confusing u with wighead? Or someone else? Is it a set up? You are guilty of something or you would still be a Minister so tell us sir
These two clowns do not know the difference between the role of an Audit, The accountant general, a commission of inquiry and the police. This is the level of intelligence of two ministers from the previous government.
He should have brought Scotland yard in. Did a thorough investigation, let the chips fall where they may, Scotland yard is very reputable and has more credibility and respect than the local force and their findings will be widely respected and accepted.Have to say Governor moving weak. Very, very weak, uncertain, unsure, losing Grip of the situation. Not too late, get Scotland yard in..
Why more of this nonsense!?
The barges were ordered by a guy that is in custody in Miami for selling cocaine, money laundering and racketeering charges. Did nobody notice this when dot the ‘audit’ report!?
The facts are all there. Yet the audit reports look like someone filled out the forms wrong, or someone reported something but no one paid attention.
The barges were contracted so allegedly a drug dealer could bring drugs into the BVI and sell them! The UK was told to take their free War Ships with the fancy radar home!
Am I the only person to notice this?
Only the guilty defend the indefensible.
Well they would defend the use of consultants wouldn’t they.
In addition, some members have engaged consultants to provide marketing, public relations and communication services at significant costs. These amounts consume a large amount of the total budget allotted for district office expenses as outlined in the guidelines. Fifty-four (54) payments totaling One Hundred Eleven Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty-One Dollars ($111,821.00) were identified for such payments. In one (1) instance, one (1) Member expended approximately Eighty Thousand Dollars ($75,000.00) between July 2019 and April 2022 for such services. Furthermore, the consultant providing these services did so while being employed by the Government of the Virgin Islands. Additionally, for a significant period, these services were also provided while the Representative held ministerial responsibilities for the Department for which the consultant was employed. We find that this scenario represented a conflict of interest in the disbursement of these payments.
Scotland Yard , or at least 12 senior UK investigating officers are already here
The audit found that public officers requested and received in excess of One Million Dollars from the programme, either for their personal benefit or the benefit of a family member.
Why was EZ shipping hired in the first place?
So that no * runners would be caught?
Hello.
If if quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, doodoo like a duck and lucks like a duck…its probably a duck. Lets see if they get what the duck got when the dust settles.
We dumb! Will still vote for Carvin and Sowande and Sheep and Sharie and Luz. All co**upt! All trying to defend this nonsense and make rationalizations! All want us turn a blind eye to curroption because the white MSN did some thing out the other. They want us to forget what they did the past 4 years. Still talking about what NDP did 8 years ago too! Not one single VIP Member should be elected! This was the worst government the BVI Government EVER elected. NONE should be reeelected…NONE! They all stood back and let the Head Coach lead our country in to oblivion!!! BS! Anybody voting for any former OR present VIP candidate is not serious about stamping out corruption. Don’t want to hear anything about any Unity Government and what they did. Eff that! Sowande, Carvin, Sheep, Sharie, even Kye should not receive even one single vote! They are all a part is the reason that the Bvi is under the pressure it is! They are not leaders, they did not stand up to Andrew!
Why these young people making so much noise now? When the Former Premier was sitting on their necks and telling them we’re going left, and they knew everything and said yeah, where were their tongues then? They never once came to the House and said anything and they are not mumblers like we want to call others. They speak the King’s English very well. I am pleasantly surprised the Present Premier is such a chatter box. He actually makes me smile and sad at the same time. I love these young people. But sadly, they are a group of what seems like intelligent young people that said not a word and cut our throats for four years and we are critiquing NDP and PVIM and everybody else who comes while we give them a pass? Well, thank God you sit up High and looks down here on us for we need you in this season. Thank you God, I am not confused.