Ex PS Clyde Lettsome refused interview over Greenhouse - Report
The Auditor General Report authored by Ms. Sonia M. Webster on the Greenhouse project has been made public by the National Democratic Party Administration on July 22, 2014 at the Eighth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly.
The project which was executed under the previous Virgin Islands Party Administration of former Premier and Minister of Finance Ralph T. O’Neal OBE, had Cabinet approval according to the report.
The subject Minister for the project was former Legislator Omar W. Hodge.
Accounting Officer-Lettsome a no show
The Auditor General Ms. Webster complained in her report on page 2 that her audit examination was restricted because former Permanent Secretary Clyde Lettsome of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, who administered the project during its major period of activity from commencement in 2008 to February 2011, was contacted to be interviewed about the project.
However, the request was not accommodated according to the report.
In one of her many recommendations in her audit of the Greenhouse Project, the Auditor General (AG) said that “Permanent Secretaries and Department Heads should adhere to the financial regulations. Those who fail to observe prudent financial management of public funds should be subject to surcharge.”
Calls and text messages to Mr Lettsome for a comment on his alleged refusal to be interviewed were not responded to up to post time.
Greenhouse Background
In May of 2008 a delegation including the then Minister for Natural Resource and Labour and then Opposition Leader now Premier Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith and other officials visited the Dominican Republic to tour greenhouse facilities and assess whether and how similar systems could be applicable to the Virgin Islands.
In June 2008 IBT’s Associate, Inverca who are greenhouse designers and manufactures from Spain visited the Virgin Islands (VI) to provide information about their product.
Following this IBT submitted to the Government an estimate of $5,555,980.80 for providing and installing six greenhouses in the VI, each with a ground cover of one year.
Project had Cabinet’s Blessings
Cabinet on July 2, 2008, endorsed the initiative and authorized the Ministry to undertake a pilot project to produced food crops using greenhouse technology. The venues to be considered for the project were Paraquita Bay, Tortola and South Sound , Virgin Gorda.
According to the Auditor General Report Cabinet also agreed that IBT would build and operate the greenhouses and sell the produce to the Virgin Islands’ Government for a specified period of time before handing it over to the Government.
Project is a good one - Auditor General
In her Audit of the Greenhouse project Ms. Webster requested that priority should be given to commissioning of the Greenhouses at Paraquita Bay. She warned that keeping them in a state of disuse contributes to their rapid deterioration and cost the government and that there should be opportunities to make good on this initiative.
Ms. Webster also recommended that consideration should be given to sourcing a suitable individual from the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) to undertake training and attachments aboard in greenhouse farming and agronomy.
She wrote ‘a technology in agriculture initiative' can be implemented to generate youth interest in the sector at local secondary and tertiary institutions.
The AG also suggested that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour should consider retaining or leasing one of the greenhouses to be used for training and possibly leasing to interested farmers in much the same way as is done with the land on Paraquita Bay.
It remains unclear why the former Permanent Secretary Mr. Lettsome refused to be interviewed by the AG for her audit of the project.
22 Responses to “Ex PS Clyde Lettsome refused interview over Greenhouse - Report ”