Opposition Member Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) brought the issue of the guards allegedly not being paid since 2018, and in the past remarked that the property is in such as state of disrepair, it remains an eyesore.

Process awaiting new board

"He further stated he had asked the current Premier about when the guards would be paid and was told that payment would be made in August 2019. He said payment has not yet been made and enquired about the status of the matter," the report stated.

Now, new information is coming out on why the long holdup of the salaries at the facility, which was abandoned by the National Democratic Party (NDP) following the 2017 hurricane devastation that ravaged the Virgin Islands (VI) and controversy over its development.

According to Acting Permanent Secretary at the Premier’s Office, Mr Kedrick E. Malone, "Prospect Reef has a management Board that has been reconstituted and noted that action cannot take place unless the Board is in place," the report noted.

AG Chambers holding up process

He further stated that they are currently waiting on the instruments to be issued by the Attorney General’s Chambers and noted that once they have been issued, the Board will be able to fulfil all outstanding obligations.

In April 2019, Mr Fraser pointed out that the Prospect Reef facility has not benefited the territory for years, “[no benefits] for government, for the public, for [the] community, for my community for the last fifteen years," he said at a sitting of the Virgin Islands, House of Assembly (HoA).

The SFC report also revealed that Prospect Reef receives its funding through a subvention from the Government of the Virgin Islands.