Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Governor slams leak of assistance grants audit report

Governor slams leak of assistance grants audit report

Governor John Rankin has condemned the release of a leaked version of the audit report into the Public Assistance Grants issued by lawmakers and government ministries between January 2019 and May 2022.
The audit was commissioned in the wake of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report which found that assistance grants distributed by members of the House of Assembly were done in a legally arbitrary and unlawful manner.

The report, issued by the Internal Audit Department (IAD) in December 2022, had been tabled in Cabinet and was expected to be released at a later date in redacted format — with the names of individual grant recipients removed — at some point after it had been laid in the House of Assembly (HOA).

But an unredacted version of the document seen by BVI News has been circulated through social media platforms and makes a number of revelations, including a disclosure about the indiscriminate issuance of grants to the families and friends of elected and other public officials.

In a statement issued by the governor late yesterday, he noted that Cabinet confidentiality is paramount, and said steps will now be taken to address the leak.

“I have accordingly ordered the Cabinet Secretary to carry out a leak inquiry in relation to this matter,” Governor Rankin said. “Should any criminal offence have occurred in relation to the leak that will also be a matter for the Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider and take forward as appropriate.”

Program lacked transparency

In the meantime, the IAD pointed out the poor controls in place for HOA Assistance Grants, likening the scheme to an “unorganised welfare programme” which was missing basic tenant of good governance .

The IAD found that for the most part, operations of these programmes did not serve to resolve any socio-economic deficiencies in any communities as the programmes were largely utilised to satisfy individual wants and desires.

“It was largely controlled by elected officials who had little to no oversight and limitations to their discretion. We have concluded that the programmes lack appropriate objectives, control and structure that would promote transparency and accountability,” the IAD said in its report.

The audit report also concluded that the grants programme as operated by the government lacked the basic tenets of good governance, such as accountability, equity and transparency.

“All the programmes lacked clearly defined policy objectives and rules that would guide their functioning,” the report stated. “These programmes operated outside any financial rules for public expenditure on the fallacious belief that elected members exercised unconstrained authority over these funds.”

According to the IAD, the programmes were operated at that level simply because it has always been the argument that elected officials are more in tune with the needs of their constituency.

But the report concluded that even though that argument may hold some validity, that knowledge should have been utilised to inform and formulate policy to meet those needs in a holistic and transparent manner.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×