The letter, which he wrote to Health Minister Carvin Malone of December 3, 2021, indicated that Premier Fahie orchestrated the dismissals of BVIHSA CEO Cedorene Patricia Malone-Smith and Human Resource Manager Levor Lettsome. But Fahie said he only wrote the letter to ensure the issue was dealt with fairly.

In an interview with BVI News last night, the Premier said his only interest was to ensure there was balance. He said he was made aware of a report from the BVIHSA’s internal auditor and that there were concerns with the auditor. The Premier said he does not know the contents of the audit but based on reports he received, the auditor was placed on administrative leave until the matter was rectified. Fahie said this did not reflect good governance or balance.

“They needed to inquire on why the persons who were mentioned in the audit, nothing personal to them, was not admitted the same fate. Either you put all on leave or you leave all of them on the job,” the Premier said.

“How the board dealt with it was independent of the Premier and independent of the minister. It is as simple as that. That’s what the letter was saying. The auditor was placed on leave and if the auditor is on leave, then the subject of the audit and the persons of interest must be [placed] on leave [too]. All of them with full pay would be the way to go until the matter is disposed of,” Fahie added.

The Premier said he did not get into the intricacies of the audit or the details of what the BVIHSA board did or did not do.

“It was solely from an outside eye stating that it has come to my attention that an audit was done and there were concerns with the audit and the auditor, which is the internal auditor at the BVIHSA,” Fahie continued.

“The only concern I have as the leader of the territory is not one to being personal in going for anyone but to be fair to everyone at all times and that our actions are balanced. The auditor has a report. Whether you like the procedure done for the report, the question would be, ‘is the information in the audit is valid or not?’. If you want to take to look if it was valid or not or if it was done to the correct procedures, that is the board’s prerogative to do without any interference,” the Premier told our news centre.

The BVIHSA board has its independence

Fahie also said he has not gotten in-depth into what is happening because the board has its independence, and he must respect that and wait until the investigations are finished. He said he cannot verify the copy of the letter our news team has in its possession. Fahie said what he can talk about is the letter he wrote. He added that the impetus behind that letter was to ensure the procedures carried out was fair.

The letter’s existence became public yesterday. And among many things, the letter had instructions that the officials — who are accused of committing fraud in the preliminary report — be placed on administrative leave immediately. The letter also called for the immediate reinstatement of the auditor. The letter further stated that if the measures were not implemented, the Premier would be compelled to forward the information to the Commissioner of Police and call for a criminal investigation.