Relatives of elected leaders cashed in on COVID grants
The Auditor General has taken issue with the grants that were awarded to relatives of elected leaders, even though such grants were not against the guidelines of the COVID-19 stimulus grants.
The House of Assembly COVID-19 Assistance Grants Audit Report said elected leaders followed the guidelines and ensured they did not issue grants to their own relatives.
However, the report highlighted that relatives who received grants did not seem to be facing any hardship — something which was a requirement for grants to be awarded.
“The ‘demonstrated hardship’ requirement for the COVID-awards was not immediately discernible in these cases,” the report stated.
The report gives examples of cases where the relatives of elected leaders were given grants for reasons that did not demonstrate hardship.
For example, the report said a payment of $5,000 was made to one individual to cover his credit card and telephone balances. A grant of $5,000 was made to another relative for car repairs and $5,000 to yet another family member towards purchasing a vehicle.
The audit review also showed that the former Fourth District Representative, Mark Vanterpool, paid $10,000 to his business KMark’s Foods (1996) Ltd for food vouchers.
In the end, the COVID-19 Assistance Grants Audit Report recommended that elected leaders stay away from grant programmes in the future as a result of mismanagement of the funds that were disbursed during the pandemic.
Residents continue to dissect the audit, while some have been asking whether action can be taken to recoup some of the funds that were awarded unfairly.
Others continue to preach that they always knew the COVID-19 grant funds were not awarded to those most in need, as many needy residents who applied were rejected.
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Much to do about nothing this matter is closed
They give it back or go to jail!
You must have gotten the cash too; nothing to see here.
TYPICAL VIP AND LORNA PUT THEM BACK IN POWER WHILE THE MAJORITY WANTED THEM OUT
Please provide a link to the report..
At the bottom of the Governors statement linked here you can find the link well hidden in the govt website https://bvi.gov.vg/media-centre/statement-governor-rankin-covid-19-assistance-grants-audit
Lorna should step aside ant disassociate herself from natalio and vip, but wait a minute, her brother vanterpool was part of it. But never the less she should unseat vip from office with a swift resignation to repair the power hungry public perception that you will lay with the devil for power
Lorna should step aside and disassociate herself from natalio and vip, but wait a minute, her brother vanterpool was part of it. But never the less. she should unseat vip from office with a swift resignation to repair the power hungry public perception of her that she will lay with the devil for power
This is the report.
its almost impossible to find on the governments website – theres a surprise
https://bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/hoa_covid-19_assistance_grants_report_-_aud_gen_amended_8_june_23.pdf?mibextid=Zxz2cZ
If Lorna resigns Fraser will jump in.
Lorna did what she did partially to prevent Fraser from seizing power.
I can think of few things worse than that alliance of rascals.
Some lucky folks got over $100,000.00 in mixed assistant grants from our generous govt as well as covid grants but their names are all redacted .
Report links are below this statement from the governor https://bvi.gov.vg/media-centre/governors-press-statement-assistance-grants-audit
Watering place won’t be getting my business again.
Lets see the list !
If this is not breach of trust then nothing else is.
Without a doubt,without hesitation and within the confines of the law someone needs to be prosecuted and held accountable to us the people for these deliberate acts of theft – both the culprits that sanctioned the monies as well as those that received it in the absence of demonstrable need.
We are about being transparent aren’t we???
Please police dept comence a criminal investigation.
All the best man.
Waste of time. Nothing will be done about the unfairness.
Excuse me, but what does Lorna have to do with the subject matter of stolen government money?
The bvi is all related so no one will come out and discuss the fradulent wickedness of the BVI it takes oursiders to bring them to justice
You are known by the company you keep. Lorna knew all the dishonest things that Andrew Fahie and his VIP gang did including this Covid grant. Yet, for power and her own self promotion she joined them and put them back in government when the people voted against them. So yes, Lorna has everything to do with this. She is not a government by herself even though she would like to think so.
I see nothing wrong with the list; it’s three days now, two more days of this silly talk then we move on!
The way the grants were awarded to politician’s relatives reminds me of how the Constitution addressed the issue of House of Assembly members should deal with Contracting with the government. On the one hand it disallows accepting a government contract if they already have a contract with government. The constitution then approves it in another way. “Members were to discuss the contract with their fellow HIS! members and if they see nothing wrong with it then Everything is Ok (in the USA they say: Copacetic ok).As far as we know, they all jumped on the bandwagon and had a field day with government contracts.
Here’s a little history about the constitution and accepting government contracts. Past speaker of the house, then Hon Keith Flax was renting the second floor of his AKARA building to the BVI Tourist Board. The Honorable Conrad Maduro was leader of the Opposition. That would have been during the early 1990s. Hon Conrad a staunch believer in the constitution decided that for Flax to continue renting to the tourist board while he was speaker he would need to Resign and that was exactly what Flx did. He stepped down and kept his rental contract. #OneBvi #BviLove