Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 21, 2025

COI finds that factors outside public interest occurred with ESHS wall

COI finds that factors outside public interest occurred with ESHS wall

Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom found that in expending public funds, factors other than those of the public interest may have been taken into account during the construction of the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) perimeter wall.

It is as a result of this and other aspects that the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report concluded that serious dishonesty has taken place in relation to elected public officials and the ESHS wall.

Despite this, however, Sir Gary said that based on the evidence that was before the COI, he could not positively find that the decisions taken by former Education Minister Myron Walwyn were made, even in part, as a potential political inducement to prospective voters.

My book of contractors


The construction of the single wall involved some 70 different sub-contractors — the majority of whom had no constructor’s trade license — and involved circumstances which disregarded the increased costs and complexity that the use of multiple contractors would inevitably entail, the report said.

Walwyn chose the 70 sub-contractors from a book of people his ministry kept specifically for that purpose. It was also noted that the practice of not requiring these sub-contractors to produce required documents meant that there was little if any “vetting”.

In the Auditor General’s report on the project, it was determined that “This process is contrary to best practices and contributes to a culture where contractors expect gratuitous public contracts from political representatives without due regard to fairness, transparency and proficiency in the selection process.”

Auditor General acted professionally


Meanwhile, Sir Gary noted that insofar as it was suggested that the Auditor General’s report on the project was politically motivated, there was simply no evidence whatsoever to support such a contention.

“The evidence is that the Auditor General acted as professionally and impartially in relation to this audit as she has done with her other audits,“ Sir Gary wrote.

The COI report found that the way in which the project was contracted and implemented was, on any view, “extraordinary”.

An investigation was launched into the ESHS wall construction more than three years ago in March 2019, but no charges have been filed in the matter.

Sir Gary said the criminal investigation which was launched with public officials as persons of interest should be allowed to run its course.

“It is unnecessary – and would be inappropriate – for me to make any further specific recommendations in relation to further steps in relation to this project at this stage,” the Commissioner wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×