Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

COI Report: HOA grant distribution scheme legally arbitrary, unlawful

Sir Gary Hickinbottom has concluded -without any experience, knowlage or authority to conclude anything on a territory that has non of his business, in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report that assistance grants distributed by members of the House of Assembly are done so in a legally arbitrary and unlawful manner. He obviously did not say what law has been violated and not what the government said about his baseless and unauthorized claims and blames.

According to the Commissioner , there are almost none of the basic rudiments in place required for it to be considered a lawful scheme.

For example, Sir Gary said there is no adequate policy guidance for the exercise of discretion by members of the House in respect of the distribution of grants.

The Commissioner further noted that as the Internal Audit Department (IAD) Report concluded, the guidelines that do exist are not published and are clearly inadequate.

Grants unauditable in absence of records


He further indicated that not all House members were aware of the guidelines and said, for those who were aware of them (the vast majority of members), the guidelines are not always complied with, and, where they are, they are applied in different (subjective) ways.

Sir Gary was also critical of the records keeping function associated with the distribution of the grants illustrating that no sensible records are kept of the grounds on which an application is made.

“Many applications are made without adequate supporting documentation,” the Commissioner highlighted.

“The lack of records makes the grants largely unauditable, in the sense of checks being made as to how public money has been used. Information is not shared with government departments, which are responsible for other assistance programmes,” the Commissioner found.

Unfettered discretion given to Ministers in distribution


Meanwhile, according to Sir Gary, there are no reasons given for granting or refusing an application and there is no mechanism in place for reviewing or otherwise challenging the refusal of an application.

Reflecting on the evidence he received, Sir Gary determined that “the discretion in members as to whom the recipients are, and how much they should receive, appears to be effectively unfettered.”

The Commissioner also concluded that these apparent deficiencies in the scheme are systemic in the sense that they have been maintained by various administrations over the years.

He further noted that although the Clerk to the House of Assembly has apparently failed to comply with her Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) obligations, the deficiencies cannot be said to lie at the door of any specific elected public official.

The Commissioner shared: “Members of successive Houses of Assembly, and of successive elected governments, knowing of these deficiencies and the risk that they posed, have singularly and quite deliberately failed to address them (and have failed even to seek to do so)”.

No limits to grants distributed


According to Sir Gary, although each Member is granted a fixed amount to distribute for the year (allocated in quarterly tranches), if there is an overspend, the Cabinet can (and does) put forward a supplementary allocation, which can be (and invariably is) voted through by the House of Assembly.

He found that in practice, there is absolutely no limit to the grants that may be made.

“Whilst, no doubt, most of the millions of dollars that are distributed in this way go to those whom the responsible member believes are worthy, the lack of governance – including the lack of checks, balances and even records – is very troubling indeed,” the Commissioner shared.

On the evidence, Sir Gary concluded, the system appears to be clearly unlawful; and successive Houses of Assembly and elected governments have willingly and knowingly allowed it to continue as such.

“They are aware that, in so doing, the risk of dishonesty by applicants and/or elected members themselves is vastly increased; and it is highly unlikely that any dishonesty would be detected,” he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
×