Tender waived as govt’s COI law firm to get top-up of up to $1.2M
Premier Andrew Fahie has given repeated assurances over the past year that his government has capped spending on its legal defence for the Commission of Inquiry (COI) at $5 million.
However, it is now unclear how a recent Cabinet decision now affects that proverbial line drawn in the sand.
In a recent post-Cabinet statement released by the government, it was revealed that the formal tender process was waived and a new engagement arrangement is entered into with Withers LLP — the UK based law firm hired as government’s COI defence team.
The Cabinet statement said the payment to Withers is not to exceed $1.2 million and noted that funding is expected to be approved via a schedule of additional provisions at the earliest sitting of the House of Assembly (HOA).
Meanwhile, the statement noted that the extension is for a period of three months — which began on March 1 and will extend to May 30, 2022 — and is for legal advice and representation to the government.
According to the release, this is in respect of the extension granted to the COI and is being done in collaboration with the Attorney General.
The COI’s deadline has twice been extended from its initial six-month period for various reasons and its Commissioner, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, is now expected to issue a final report sometime this month.
At a recent press conference held with Premier Fahie, he denied knowledge of how much had been spent thus far on the government’s defence before the COI, despite the issuance of the Cabinet decision a few short weeks before.
The HOA holds a continuation of its second sitting of the House this week on Thursday, April 7.
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Please pay public health and nurses their money..
Let us all wave the VIP goodbye in 2023
We will wave them goodbye this month, bring on the COI Report
PLEASE PAY VENDORS.
They were so useless as to be embarrassing during the COI. So lets give them more tax payers money. Outrageous.
How can you just not know what it is costing. Clearly not a good person to be in charge of a country. Bad Governance right there.
He well know how much its costing. I can tell you I have a feeling it more than 5 mil right now. I remember a few months into the commission he (The Premier) said that at the time the cost was up to 3 mil, so I can only assume that it is much more now, that is why he does not remember.
He well know how much its costing. I can tell you I have a feeling it more than 5 mil right now. I remember a few months into the commission he (The Premier) said that at the time the cost was up to 3 mil, so I can only assume that it is much more now, that is why he does not remember.
That 5 million dollars could take care of the budget shortfall for the rebuilding of the high school – wouldn’t need to be asking business people to donate.
The BVI government, its coffers and its people are being robbed and taken to the cleanes by the grandsons of its former enslavers.
So the bulk of this spending goes to foreign lawyers. What are joke! These people must really feel they’ve won the BVI lottery. Same ones who have nithing good to say about the BVI. I thought NDP was asleep. VIP is in a coma.
So the bulk of this spending goes to foreign lawyers. What are joke! These people must really feel they’ve won the BVI lottery. Same ones who have nithing good to say about the BVI. I thought NDP was asleep. VIP is in a coma.