Governor Rankin probes leaked public assistance grant report

Governor John Rankin

PRESS STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR OF THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS MR JOHN RANKIN CMG

The Audit report into Public Assistance Grants made between January 2019 and May 2022 was carried out in accordance with Recommendation B12 of the Commission of Inquiry Report, and was received by myself and the Premier on 30th December.

The report was thereafter tabled in Cabinet and is due to be laid in accordance with the provisions of the Audit Act 2003 in the House of Assembly in redacted form, with names of individual grant recipients removed.

At that point, the report will become public.

A document which has now been widely circulated appears to be a copy of the report which was considered by Cabinet and which was a confidential document.

Cabinet confidentiality is paramount, and I have accordingly ordered the Cabinet Secretary to carry out a leak inquiry in relation to this matter.

Should any criminal offence have occurred in relation to the leak that will also be a matter for the Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider and take forward as appropriate.

In the meantime, I would respectfully ask that the leaked document is not circulated further given that it is confidential in nature.