"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
When the Commission of Inquiry asked Premier Andrew Fahie on Monday about his role in the controversial Neighbourhood Partnership Project from 2008 to 2010, he repeatedly deflected responsibility to late …
Continue reading “Asked about NPP, Fahie points to late premier”
As the Covid-19 pandemic continued to batter the Virgin Islands economy in September 2020, Premier Andrew Fahie authorised a system of distributing stimulus grants to religious organisations and schools, he …
For decades, the government’s system for awarding belongership has been broken. It is inconsistent and unfair, and it lacks transparency. Thus, much of the information about the topic aired recently …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Belongership system urgently needs reform”
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Attorney General blasts Commission of Inquiry’s belongership hearing”
“That’s how we’ve always done it.” This excuse has been bandied about with shocking abandon in the Commission of Inquiry in recent weeks as elected leaders and other senior officials …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: UK shares responsibility for governance failings”
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 …
Continue reading “Commission of Inquiry alleges Customs programme may violate law”
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 …
Continue reading “Imprisoned convicts were considered for belongership”
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 …
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 …
The Commission of Inquiry has suggested that House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Neville Smith breached section 67 of the Virgin Islands Constitution by failing either to vacate his seat or …
Speaker of the House Julian Willock has denied personal responsibility for paying legal costs related to his withdrawn request for an injunction against three Commission of Inquiry attorneys. Instead, his …
Continue reading “Willock: Lawyer costs ‘not my responsibility’”
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 …
Continue reading “Fraser dodges the blame for project in SCB”
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, …
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 …
Continue reading “Government blasted for ‘massive’ response on Covid grants”
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 …
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Government, COI still arguing over information delays”
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 …
Continue reading “Climate fund has never benefited from eco-levy”
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 …
As the Commission of Inquiry resumes hearings on Monday, the government should turn over a new leaf by quickly and completely producing all requested information so that the probe can …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: As inquiry resumes, government must provide info”
I recently shared this with some friends during a conversation about the ongoing Commission of Inquiry. I view the COI through a historical context, where our foreparents built this territory …
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Commission of Inquiry team returning to VI”
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn sought a comprehensive list of Cabinet decisions during a recent House of Assembly sitting, but Premier Andrew Fahie declined to provide it, first claiming that it …
