Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg says he has information that high ranking officials are trying to thwart an Industrial Development Commission investigation into violations of the V.I. Telephone Corp.'s IDC benefits.
Donastorg put his concerns in a letter to Attorney General Iver Stridiron, asking the AG to implement an inquiry into the accusation.
Donastorg has been a strong critic of Vitelco. In June the senator petitioned for a Legislative Meeting of the Whole to look into possible wrong doing on the part of the Public Services Commission relative to Vitelco.
IDC acting director Frandelle Gerard said Wednesday she was not aware of the letter and had no knowledge of any attempts to interfere with the IDC beneficiary compliance review process.
Gerard said all beneficiaries were currently undergoing a review, but she could not comment on any specific beneficiary with consultation with the partners involved in the process.
The review process is a joint effort between Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, Internal Revenue Bureau and the Office of Corporations, she said.
The departments each submit a report on each beneficiary which is then reviewed by IDC.
Gerard did say there is a proscribed process under which the Attorney General could be brought in.
Donastorg said he hoped the AG would not be "hindered in his investigation by an inappropriate sense of political loyalty.
"It is such concerns that lead me to believe that you and all future Attorneys General should be elected, rather than appointed.
"Such independence would help assure the public that the Attorney General is working for truth and legality rather than simply representing the administration."
Stridiron could not be reached. He was off-island, according to a staff member at his office.
