Senator Kenneth Gittens, who just this afternoon was removed from the Senate president position, issued a statement accusing 33rd Legislature lawmakers of attempting to cover up the impending results of an Office of the Inspector General audit report on the 31st and 32nd Legislatures’ finances.
The senator was also not ready to cede his position, questioning whether the actions taken today by a majority of 9 lawmakers were legal.
Mr. Gittens said that shortly after assuming the office of Senate president, he discovered serious irregularities. Realizing the problems were much bigger than could be addressed internally, Mr. Gittens said he wrote to the Inspector General on February 6, 2019 requesting a full-scale audit.
“The 31st and 32nd Legislature operated beyond the bounds of both ethics and the law and every effort is being made to orchestrate a cover up,” Mr. Gittens said (in his statement, the senator still considered himself the president of the 33rd Legislature).
Mr. Gittens said he was elected by the people of St. Croix and, whatever the outcome, would continue to do his best on their behalf. He said his primary concern was any disruption in conducting the people’s business.
“At the end of the day any such disorganized and abrupt actions only serve in delaying action on the many important matters before us,” he said. “But we also must consider that the last time the body was abruptly reorganized the end result was chaos and, eventually, led to jail terms when the misdeeds caught up with them.”
He added, “This is not a drama session,” he said. “Our deliberations will never be without politics, but we must put the people’s business first. Some have forgotten that it is not about serving ourselves, we must remain ever mindful that it is about serving our people. May God continue to bless the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
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