Opposition Leader Marlon Penn, while speaking during a previous sitting of the House of Assembly, said he researched the cost and tender process for that contract on the conditioning system and discovered that the contractor was selected over another who had entered a bid that was $300,000 less. He further claimed the lower bidder was essentially disqualified for a typographical error.

But while describing the Opposition Leader’s statement as irresponsible, Premier Fahie said there was an open and transparent tender process in place for the contract.

“I sat here, and it still irks me … to hear when the Leader of the Opposition accuse a businessman of putting in a bid over $300,000 for the Multipurpose Sports Complex and then comes to speak about persons damaging persons in the House of Assembly,” Premier Fahie said.

“He knows not what the bid is about, he knows not the technical aspects of it. How could you do that to that businessman?“ Premier Fahie asked.

Premier Fahie said the Opposition Leader’s statement lacked integrity and pointed to other incidents in the past where contracts did not go to the lowest bidder, yet nothing was said about them.

“How come this one contractor has gained the interest of the Leader of the Opposition to go in such a negative direction?” he further question.

According to the Premier, this was the very reason his government was implementing an Integrity in Public Life legislation.

Premier Fahie said elected officials are questioned everywhere else in the world, so it was not a unique issue for the BVI.

But he said eliminating doubts about the credibility of public officials had become even more difficult with reckless statements such as those made by the Opposition members.