Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Premier, Ministers should have right to refuse AG report lacking integrity- Hon Fraser

Premier, Ministers should have right to refuse AG report lacking integrity- Hon Fraser

Opposition Leader, Honourable Julian Fraser RA (R3) has said the Premier or any Minister of Government should have the right to refuse any report from the Auditor General (AG) deemed to be lacking integrity.

He was at the time addressing the House of Assembly (HoA) on March 2, 2023, on the Report on COVID-19 Border Security for Static Marine Platforms, which has come under serious disrepute as lacking balance.

In his contribution, Hon Fraser said there has to be more to the story as he questioned when the accused will have the opportunity to tell their side of the story.

“I think that the Premier or any other Minister who’s bringing a report here from the Auditor General should have the right to say, ‘I’m not bringing it’. Because something isn’t right. I need more information,’” Hon Fraser said.

Residents have questioned the motives of the many one-sided reports from the Auditor General Sonia M. Webster and whether she took instructions from the controversial Governor John J. Rankin and the one-man Commissioner Sir Gary R. Hickinbottom.



PAC should have public hearings- Hon Fraser

He added that in such a case, the Public Accounts Committee could be useful, but pointed out that in this case, it may be a conflict of interest.

“But then how the Public Accounts Committee could be useful in an instance like this when that same Public Accounts Committee has in it, through the Standing Orders that the Auditor General’s the Advisor to the Public Accounts Committee. How do you advise a Committee who’s investigating a report that you wrote…?” Hon Fraser questioned.

The Opposition Leader also stressed that the Public Accounts Committee should have public hearings.

“I think, Madam Speaker, that we should make laws that determine what is fair…

“I’m not here to defend anyone. I’m not here to criticise anyone. I’m just here to talk about what is right”, he said.

The AG Report said that EZ Shipping was paid $738,000 by Government, between November 26, 2020, to January 21, 2021, when the barges were not in use.

Both the Premier and Leader of the Opposition have slammed Mrs Sonia M. Webster’s Reports on EZ Shipping as being biased and unbalanced.

Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) noted that neither he nor anyone from the National Security Council (NSC) was interviewed in this regard.

In addition, he stressed that no one from EZ Shipping was interviewed, as he labeled the report biased.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×