Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Premier warns public against sharing unredacted info from leaked Audit Report

Premier warns public against sharing unredacted info from leaked Audit Report

Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has warned against the public sharing of “unredacted” information contained in the Assistance Grants Audit Report, which was recently leaked allegedly by a Member of Cabinet.

Debating the Report at the Fourth Sitting of the 5th Session of the 4th House of Assembly (HoA) today, March 9, 2023, Dr Wheatley warned that circulating 'unredacted' information is a serious offence.

He said those who made the decision to expose the identities of the 4000 people contained in this document have decided to go against the recommendations of the Auditor General, the Governor and himself who have all agreed to have the names in the report redacted.

Document was 'all over the street' after reaching Cabinet- Premier

“The first thing that I’m going to do, Madam Speaker, before I say anything about the contents of this report, is to condemn, in the strongest fashion, the unauthorised release of this document into the public…the Auditor General made a decision, the Governor concurred, the Premier concurred. This document was redacted, for good reason”, Dr Wheatley said.

He continued that the report had been sent to him and the Governor around December 30, 2022, and was not leaked at the time.

He noted; however, that when it finally went to Cabinet, it was “all over the street” right after.
Ministers of Cabinet. From left: Honourable Sharie B. de Castro (AL), Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports; Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2), Minister for Natural Resources and Labour; Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), Premier and Minister of Finance; Honourable Kye M. Rymer (R5), Deputy Premier and Minister for Communications and Works; and Honourable Marlon A. Penn (R8), Minister for Health and Social Development.



Sharing 'redacted' info 'a serious offense'

“I’m hearing, Madam Speaker, persons on the radio speaking about this unredacted report, saying that as soon as it’s laid on the table they’ll be able to speak about it…I want to make it very clear, this report that we have just laid on the table is a redacted version and I want to caution persons out there, if you go and share this unredacted version even after we’ve laid this on the table, you are violating the confidentiality of a Cabinet document. It is a serious offence and you must not do it”, the Premier warned.

Dr Wheatley added that circulating the document shows that those who shared this information chose to make a decision that is clearly not theirs and are taking this action into their own hands.

“Who is anybody to go and put those persons' names on the streets? I’m extremely disappointed at the decision that someone made to leak this document to the public and expose those persons”, he said.

Dr Wheatley noted that even in the redacted version the amounts given to each person can be seen.

The Premier argued that the people of the Virgin Islands are a proud people and it would have taken them a lot to ask the government for help and would have preferred their business to remain private.

He also said he had no apologies for legislators and the government trying to help the people of the Virgin Islands, especially to assist with acquiring tertiary education.

“Why was it necessary to go and embarrass these people in the way it was done? Why was that necessary? What, for politics? We have to stop destroying each other just for politics and for power…In trying to hurt me or trying to hurt somebody else you end up hurting a whole bunch of other people- collateral damage”, Dr Wheatley stressed.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×