Fahie Denies Receiving Kickbacks From Stimulus Grants
Premier and Finance Minister Hon. Andrew Fahie has denounced rumours that he received kickbacks from beneficiaries of the COVID-19 stimulus grants.
“…Although some of them out there saying we thief de people dem money with the stimulus, I ain’t have a dime for a soul. And I ain’t afraid to say it. And I will say it whether here, some people have it that the CoI (Commission of Inquiry) is all that there is,” he said in the House of Assembly on Monday, August 23.
The finance minister said all he tries to do is to help his people.
“I try to help the people of the Virgin Islands with my government and not one of them who got a stimulus could tell the people of the Virgin Islands that they come back and give Andrew Fahie no kick back,” he lamented.
According to Hon. Fahie, some members of the opposition are the ones spreading the misinformation.
“…Because that is what 50 percent of the opposition out there saying with the others, and that is what they tell their partners who they are working with to undermine the people,” he stressed.
The Premier’s Office, which administered the COVID-19 stimulus grant initiative for farmers and fisherfolk, has been accused of significantly inflating the payments so that they exceeded the amounts individuals actually applied for.
During the hearing of the ongoing United Kingdom- backed CoI in June, Auditor General, Sonia Webster confirmed the latter during her testimony. The Commission was at the time reviewing the Auditor General’s report dated June 21, 2021 on the stimulus grant to farmers and fisherfolk.
Specifically addressing findings on the farmers' grant, the report revealed that farmers were paid in some cases, three times the amount they requested from Government.
Counsel to the CoI, Bilal Rawat highlighted part of the report which identified a sample of request made by 70 farmers which totaled $351,713. However, according to Rawat, the amount actually paid to those 70 individuals totaled just over $1M.
According to Webster, the qualification for the grant was that you either had to be registered with the Agriculture Department or present an affidavit that you are indeed a farmer for the past three years.
Webster again agreed that there was no information received as to how unregistered farmers qualified for the grant award.
The finance minister said all he tries to do is to help his people.
“I try to help the people of the Virgin Islands with my government and not one of them who got a stimulus could tell the people of the Virgin Islands that they come back and give Andrew Fahie no kick back,” he lamented.
According to Hon. Fahie, some members of the opposition are the ones spreading the misinformation.
“…Because that is what 50 percent of the opposition out there saying with the others, and that is what they tell their partners who they are working with to undermine the people,” he stressed.
The Premier’s Office, which administered the COVID-19 stimulus grant initiative for farmers and fisherfolk, has been accused of significantly inflating the payments so that they exceeded the amounts individuals actually applied for.
During the hearing of the ongoing United Kingdom- backed CoI in June, Auditor General, Sonia Webster confirmed the latter during her testimony. The Commission was at the time reviewing the Auditor General’s report dated June 21, 2021 on the stimulus grant to farmers and fisherfolk.
Specifically addressing findings on the farmers' grant, the report revealed that farmers were paid in some cases, three times the amount they requested from Government.
Counsel to the CoI, Bilal Rawat highlighted part of the report which identified a sample of request made by 70 farmers which totaled $351,713. However, according to Rawat, the amount actually paid to those 70 individuals totaled just over $1M.
According to Webster, the qualification for the grant was that you either had to be registered with the Agriculture Department or present an affidavit that you are indeed a farmer for the past three years.
Webster again agreed that there was no information received as to how unregistered farmers qualified for the grant award.
