The Commission of Inquiry (COI) has been granted a further extension of three months which means the final report of its investigations must now be submitted by April this year.
Governor John Rankin made the disclosure in a statement issued on Tuesday January 4.
He said the extension was necessary since the large volume of documents received from the Inquiry Response Unit (IRU) during the COI investigation stage was far too much to conclude proceedings and issue a report in the previously set timeline.
“Both the volume of documents involved and the time taken for the redaction applications to be made and considered have had an impact on the Commissioner’s ability to finalise his report and supporting documentation within the current timeframe,” Governor Rankin stated.
He added, “Therefore, I have today informed the Honourable Premier that in discussion with the Commissioner, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, I have granted a further three-month extension to the COL, to April 2022, to enable the Commissioner and his team to prepare and deliver his final report. A new instrument confirming this extension will be issued.”
Governor Rankin said the decision to further extend the timeline is the moral thing to do, to ensure that each of the areas of concerns are properly investigated and addressed, to provide sound solutions to the existing issues.
“I believe it is right that this process is completed carefully and methodically and to ensure that a complete report is delivered into the areas of concern that the Commission is addressing. Good Governance is paramount to the success of any country and I remain committed to supporting the COI in helping to achieve this for the Virgin Islands,” he explained.
The Commission of Inquiry was originally scheduled to report its findings to Governor Ranking by July 18, 2021.
However, Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom was clear that the time allocated was insufficient and he requested an extension which was granted for an additional six months which expired in January 2022.
The new three-month extension now means the COI will have until April 2022 to submit its findings to Governor Rankin.