Opposition recommends a Commission of Inquiry

On Thursday 25^th May 2006 the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, laid on the Table of the Legislative Council, a twelve page report and related appendices on Contracts between the Government of the British Virgin Islands and the Glover Park Group and Affiliates.  The Public Accounts Committee Report was conducted in accordance with Section 73 of the Standing Orders of the Legislative Council of the Virgin Islands and following an extensive analysis of the nine issues cited in the report, the Committee recommended a Commission of Inquiry either public or private, be carried out in order to clarify a total of twelve matters raised by the Public Accounts Committee.

Opposition Leader Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal said that in response to the request for a Commission of Inquiry, in a letter dated 5^th July 2006, to the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, His Excellency Governor David Pearey, stated in Paragraph 5, that he had written to the Chief Minister, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, and had urged him to answer the questions fully and publicly and thus has reserved his determination for the institution of a Commission of Inquiry until such time after the debate in the Legislative Council.

On Tuesday and Wednesday 3^rd & 4^th October 2006, the Legislative Council, in accordance with Section 83 (8) of the Standing Orders of the Legislative Council, debated a motion which was moved by the Leader of the Opposition to adopt the Public Accounts Committee Report on the Glover Park Group and the motion to adopt the report, as expected, was defeated as a result of the majority of the Government vote.

Mr. O’Neal said that the views of the members of the Opposition on this matter are very different from the views of the Government.  “As I said in the debate the motion was not placed on the Order Paper blindly.  I knew that the Government would vote against the motion.”

He said that the Opposition has concluded that:

“(a) The Government of Dr. D. Orlando Smith has failed completely to answer the questions and has also failed to produce verifiable proof to satisfy or to refute any of the concerns mentioned in items 1 through 12 in the report entitled “Conclusions” of the Public Accounts Committee Report of the Contract with Glover Park Group and Affiliates.

(b) Neither the Chief Minister, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith nor any other member of the National Democratic Party Government has taken responsibility for any of the twelve issues cited by the Public Accounts Committee.

(c) The concerns that there exists a conflict of interest as a result of the simultaneous engagement by the National Democratic Party and the National Democratic Party British Virgin Islands Government, as Communications Consultant for both entities have not been effectively refuted by the Government.

(d) The concerns that Glover Park Group received no-bid contracts from the B.V.I. Government has not been refuted by any facts presented to the Legislative Council during the debate.

(e) The Opposition is not satisfied that the Government has effectively refuted the concern that the Glover Park Group has been paid or is being paid by the National Democratic Party for the services rendered to the National Democratic Party separately and aside from the payments being received by Glover Park Group from the National Democratic Party, British Virgin Islands Government, for services rendered to the people of the British Virgin Islands.

(f) The Opposition refutes the assertion by the Chief Minister that the re-insertion of a semi colon into the budgetary notes will satisfy the concern that the Legislative Council has been deceptively misled and has resulted in the assertion of misappropriation and misuse of funds by the Government.  The evidence presented clearly proves that the Glover Park Group, in fact, has been engaged as Communications Consultants and contrary to the information presented to the Legislative Council of the Virgin Islands has never been engaged to primarily promote the British Virgin Islands nor the British Virgin Islands tourism or Financial Services Product.  This conclusion was clearly articulated by the Permanent Secretary of the Chief Minister’s Office, who is also the accounting Officer responsible for the expenditure of funds under the Chief Minister’s Office and his evidence is reported in the minutes of the Public Accounts Committee that he attended, which is part of the report.

(g) The Opposition refutes the claim by the Government that the inclusion of only excerpts of the minutes of the Public Accounts meeting that was specifically related to the Glover Park Inquiry and that exclusion of the excerpts of the said meeting of other unrelated topics including the Road Town Improvement Scheme inquiry represents a doctoring of the report. Further, the Opposition asserts that the sections cited by the Government do not provide the answer or answers to any of the twelve concerns cited in the conclusion section of the Public Accounts Committee report.

(h) Finally, the Chief Minister, Dr. the Honourbale D. Orlando Smith, has failed to address the assertion of the Public Accounts Committee report that the total action of Glover Park Group during the 14^th and 15^th Legislative Council are subversive.” Mr. O’Neal said.

“For the reasons listed above, the Members of the Opposition will be sending a letter to His Excellency the Governor expressing our support in favour of the recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee for the institution of a Commission of Inquiry into the contracts with Glover Park Group and Affiliates.”