Pointing to longstanding concerns about poor governance in the territory, outgoing Governor Gus Jaspert on Monday announced a wide-ranging commission of inquiry that will probe allegations of potential corruption, political intimidation and abuse of public funds, among other issues.
In explaining the reasons for the probe, the governor cited questions about the allocation of money for Covid-19 relief efforts, and expressed apprehension about possible organised crime connected to a record-breaking drug bust last November.
The formal inquiry will be conducted independently by the United Kingdom and led by Sir Gary Hickinbottom, a former UK justice of appeal who also served as a Supreme Court judge in the Falkland Islands and is familiar with Caribbean legal matters, the governor explained.
“You will recall in early December, I spoke openly with the public about the growing number of concerns and allegations relating to the standards of governance in the BVI,” Mr. Jaspert said Monday. “These concerns were put to me by individuals across the community — including senior business leaders, public officers, community groups, media and others. Cumulatively, they paint a worrisome picture.”
The governor added that publicly addressing those concerns led to more “open and honest conversations” about governance standards.
“For the first time, many have felt confident to raise their voice,” he continued. “This is an important conversation for us to have, albeit difficult as those who speak up are too often silenced.”
The governor said other public officers including Deputy Governor David Archer Jr., Auditor General Sonia Webster, Registrar of Interests Victoreen Romney-Varlack, outgoing Police Commissioner Michael Matthews and others shared his concern about such allegations and their own observations.
In the hours after the announcement, Premier Andrew Fahie expressed guarded support for the inquiry, calling on the UK to ensure transparency and fairness throughout the process and urging community members to cooperate.
Allegations
In his Monday announcement, Mr. Jaspert presented a list of concerns and allegations from the past several years.
Topping the list were “wide concerns over the lack of transparency when it comes to spending public funds, particularly those relating to Covid19 economic stimulus support.”
Last June, after months of community members calling for a plan to support residents hit hardest by the pandemic, government unveiled a $62.9 million stimulus package funded mostly by grants from the Social Security Board. Since then, leaders have not provided the public with a comprehensive account of how the money has been spent.
Mismanaged projects?
The governor also spoke about concerns about the possible mismanagement of public projects.
“Successive audit reports have set out practices of political interference, inflating prices and conflicts of interest,” Mr. Jaspert said. “These may have cost the public purse millions of dollars in recent years, with no sign of improvement.”
Additionally, the governor expressed concern about a lack of transparency with government contracts, saying that people have shared complaints about a lack of fair and open competition for work, as well as conflicts of interest and inadequate value for money.
“We need to know how individuals are getting work so we can ensure equal opportunities for all,” Mr. Jaspert said in his announcement.
Political interference?
The governor also described allegations of political interference occurring in some statutory bodies.
“A number of officers from our bodies have come to me with concerns about individuals being replaced by political allies and officers being coerced into circumventing protocols and taking improper practices,” he said.
He added that similar claims extend to the public service, including “serious allegations of attempts of interference in the criminal justice system.”
The final complaint dealt with wide-ranging concerns about intimidation of those in public service, media and society as a whole, showing a “growing culture of fear” in the territory, he said.
Mr. Jaspert added that a push for legislative reform to promote good governance “has faced what I can only conclude are deliberate delays.”
The ruling Virgin Islands Party and the opposition National Democratic Party both campaigned in early 2019 on promoting transparency and accountability in government with steps such as freedom-of-information legislation, integrity legislation and a public register of legislators’ interests.
Those steps have not come to fruition, though last April Mr. Fahie promised a legally binding ministerial code of conduct that has not yet come to the House of Assembly for a vote.
Mr. Jaspert also said that VI institutions aiming to conduct their own inquiries have been prevented from accessing necessary information.
“The state of governance in the BVI requires robust and impartial intervention now,” he said.
Organised crime?
In addition to the governance complaints, he added, “there is growing evidence of serious organised crime infiltrating the BVI.”
In support of the claim, he referenced the November seizure of 2.3 tonnes of cocaine worth $250 million in Balsam Ghut — the largest land-based cocaine seizure in British history.
Two police officers have been arrested in connection to the raid, and Mr. Jaspert said in a press conference following the bust that such a large drug operation suggests that organised crime and corruption exist in the territory.
