Premier Dodging $100M Loan Questions
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn says Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has repeatedly avoided answering questions in the House of Assembly about the government’s management of a $100 million loan. Penn says legislators are still waiting for details on how much has been spent, which projects have been financed and where public funds have been invested or deposited.
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has accused Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley of continuing to dodge questions in the House of Assembly about the government’s management of a $100 million loan. Penn told the Talking Points radio programme that legislators have repeatedly asked for details about the amount spent, the projects financed and the value received from the loan, but have not received answers. "First of all, you have to account for what you’ve borrowed.
You’ve yet to account to the public for the $100 million that you’ve borrowed. You’ve yet to show us in terms of how you’ve spent it," he said. The Opposition says it has also asked how much of the loan has been formally committed to projects and whether the territory has seen value for the money already outlaid. "Have we gotten value on the monies that you’ve spent already?
What are the projects that have been committed on this money? Penn complained that submitted questions were sidelined during sittings after the Premier moved to place the question-and-answer segment at the end of the order paper. He said this effectively delayed scrutiny. The latest complaint follows a similar dispute in July when Premier Wheatley rearranged business so debate on amendments to the Recovery and Development Agency Act could take place before questions.
Penn opposed that move and later brought a motion to have the House follow the established order of business; Speaker Corine George-Massicote ruled the motion out of order, saying the House had already decided the matter during the sitting. In his interview Penn also raised earlier, unanswered queries about how public funds have been invested or deposited, and said reports that the government was considering further borrowing made transparency on the existing loan even more urgent. "We’ve asked questions in the House of Assembly to ascertain where the public funds [have gone], where have they been invested, where have they been deposited.
And we’re still waiting to have those questions answered in the House of Assembly," he said. For residents, the dispute touches on accountability for public finances and the pace and priority of projects funded by external borrowing. Opposition calls for detailed disclosures reflect wider concerns about government debt, project delivery and how quickly taxpayers will see benefits from major loans.
The Premier’s office has not published a full breakdown in response to those specific questions as of Penn’s interview. The exchange underscores ongoing tensions in the House over parliamentary procedure and the scrutiny of government spending, with the Opposition insisting that answers on the $100 million loan be placed before any consideration of additional borrowing.
Primary source: BVI News