Government consultant and radio personality Claude Skelton-Cline initially refused to answer many of the Commission of Inquiry’s questions on Oct. 4 after claiming its probe was unfairly focusing on him …
Attorney General blasts Commission of Inquiry’s belongership hearing
During a Sept. 28 hearing, the Commission of Inquiry read from a document recounting a 2019 Cabinet meeting in which members considered granting belongership to a rapist imprisoned in the …
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Commission of Inquiry alleges Customs programme may violate law
In its roughly 40-year history, the Customs Department’s Partial Payment Programme has never been governed by a formal policy, despite Custom Commissioner Wade Smith’s assurance following a December audit that …
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Imprisoned convicts were considered for belongership
As part of government’s 2019 “fast-track” programme, Cabinet considered granting belonger status to two convicted criminals, including a man serving 10 years for rape in the United States, Commission of …
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COI team returns to ESHS wall project
The Commission of Inquiry revisited the auditor general’s special report on the Elmore Stoutt High School wall on Monday, calling former Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn to answer various …
Premier disbanded the climate change board even though he knew it was likely illegal
When Cabinet ministers effectively disbanded the Climate Change Trust Fund board shortly after the 2019 general election, they knew that then-Attorney General Baba Aziz believed the move was unlawful, Premier …
Fraser dodges the blame for project in SCB
Opposition member Julian Fraser claimed on Sept. 16 to have limited knowledge of the unfinished Sea Cows Bay Harbour Development Project in his Third District, alternately blaming its many problems …
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Fahie grilled over board shake-ups
The Premier’s Office — which currently oversees 11 statutory bodies — chose board members through an informal process that typically didn’t employ vacancy announcements, interviews, background checks, or conflict-of-interest reviews, …
Government blasted for ‘massive’ response on Covid grants
Though representatives for the Attorney General’s Chambers have repeatedly complained that the government lacks the time and resources to keep up with information requests from the Commission of Inquiry, Commissioner …
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COI probes SSB appointment process
The board of directors for the Social Security Board was mostly empty for about five months in early 2020, but leaders couldn’t offer a clear explanation for that fact last …
EDITORIAL: Premier dropped the ball on climate change fund
As we’ve said before, the current government’s 2019 decision to revoke all six appointed members of the Climate Change Trust Fund board was a huge mistake. The failure to replace …
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Speakers withdraw injunction request
Speaker of the House Julian Willock and Deputy Speaker Neville Smith have withdrawn their request for an injunction to prevent three Commission of Inquiry lawyers from working in the territory …
Government, COI still arguing over information delays
The Commission of Inquiry into alleged government corruption continues to be frustrated by government’s delays in providing certain evidence, Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom said Monday as hearings restarted after a …
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Climate fund has never benefited from eco-levy
Less than two months after the Virgin Islands Party came to power in the February 2019 general election, all six private-sector members of the Climate Change Trust Fund board received …
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Commission of Inquiry questions transparency of Health and Social Development board appointments
The process for appointing members to the two statutory boards within the Ministry of Health and Social Development lacks transparency, as ministry officials do not advertise for the positions and …
Government legal fees exceed $3m in COI
Asked recently how much the government is paying the law firm Withersworldwide for representation during the ongoing Commission of Inquiry, Premier Andrew Fahie did not provide an exact figure. But …
Commission of Inquiry team returning to VI
After taking a month-long break from holding hearings, the United Kingdom’s Commission of Inquiry is set to resume the process early next month. Then-Governor Gus Jaspert announced the inquiry in …
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Officials: Ministry was aware of ESHS wall overruns
The Elmore Stoutt High School perimeter wall project, which has been investigated extensively by the Commission of Inquiry in recent months, was the focus of the last two hearings the …
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Commissioner of Inquiry asks airport boss to resubmit his affidavit
After BVI Airports Authority Managing Director Clive Smith testified before the Commission of Inquiry for a little over an hour on Monday, COI Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom ended the hearing …
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Clerk: HOA was ‘overwhelmed’ with Covid applications
The Commission of Inquiry called House of Assembly Clerk Phyllis Evans to testify on July 14, asking her why incomplete applications for pandemic aid were accepted, how ministers decide who …
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COI probes Sea Cows Bay harbour project
To investigate claims of overspending, potential conflicts of interest, and a lack of oversight on the unfinished Sea Cows Bay Harbour Development Project, the Commission of Inquiry called opposition member …
Inquiry hearings on hold for now
After securing a six-month extension to submit the Commission of Inquiry’s report to Governor John Rankin, Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom announced on July 14 that his team would pause the …
Ex-auditor grilled about claims he thwarted auditor
Wendell Gaskin, a former deputy financial secretary who represented the Finance Ministry on the BVI Ports Authority Board during the time of the troubled cruise pier project said that until …
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IRU, COI square off on ‘disorganised’ evidence
The Commission of Inquiry held a directions hearing on July 8 to address what Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom called the “disorganised and unhelpful” disclosure of documents from the government’s Inquiry …
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Inquiry team reviews procurement process
The territory’s procurement rules are “lacking” in areas like accountability and transparency, but the government is working on legislative reform designed to tackle this problem, Ministry of Finance Projects Director …