Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

EZ Shipping, CSC audits should be public before HOA dissolves

EZ Shipping, CSC audits should be public before HOA dissolves

Governor John Rankin has indicated that the government has until the end of the current session of the House of Assembly (HOA) to make some critical audit reports public.
Audit reports in relation to contracts between the former Andrew Fahie-led government and Claude Skelton Cline as well as those with EZ Shipping were completed sometime in December and handed to the governor for review.

But these audit reports are yet to be made public some two months after their completion.

When questioned recently about when the public should be able to access these reports, Governor Rankin said: “As regards the reports which have been received from the Auditor General under the Audit Act 2003, they need to be laid in the House of Assembly within three months of their receipt.”

He added: “They were mainly received at the very end of December and therefore my full expectation is that they will be laid in the House of Assembly and made public before parliament is dissolved in advance of the general election.”

Thus far, the audit report on Skelton Cline’s contracts was the only one added to the Order Paper for the HOA’s third sitting and was expected to be laid on the table of the House as typically done. However, the item was moved further down the list on the Order Paper and is now expected to be laid during a subsequent sitting.

Skelton Cline’s contracts with the government came under fire in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report, with COI Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom concluding that the contracts demonstrated serious dishonesty on the part of public officials.

“On the evidence, there can be little if any doubt that these contracts were, on their face, false. They did not attempt to set out the intended contractual obligations of Mr Skelton Cline (if any),” Sir Gary found in his findings at the time.

In the meantime, the Auditor General also completed reports on HOA Assistance Grants and EZ Shipping’s government contracts for radar barges after 2019 which cost more than $2 million. In his COI report, Sir Gary recommended a full audit, and if deemed necessary, criminal investigations for government contracts with EZ shipping.

During the COI, Premier Fahie had repeatedly denied initiating an engagement with the proprietor of EZ Shipping, Clyde Chalwell, and said it was an unsolicited proposal sent from the company to his office that started the engagement.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
×