Integrity Commission flags Public Works, Housing and Water Ministries for default in submissions

Aug 06, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Two of the ministries with the largest budgetary allocations this year have been flagged by the Integrity Commission for failing to make timely submissions.

Office of the Integrity Commission

The Ministry of Public Works, with a budget of $76.7 billion, and the Ministry of Housing and Water with an allocation of $12.4 billion have failed to submit the list of names of all Specified Persons in Public Life, as required by the Integrity Commission Act.

Specified Offices, according to the law include the President, Speaker of the National Assembly, Ministers of the State, Secretary to the Cabinet, Parliamentary Secretaries, Members of the National Assembly, Members of Local and Regional Democratic Organs, Clerk of the National Assembly and several others.

Two other government agencies that are yet to submit the list of specified persons in public life are the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In a public notice, the Commission said the outstanding lists relate to the 2022 Declarations period commencing July 1, 2021 which ended on June, 30, 2022. The local watchdog body indicated that the deadline for submission of all correspondences relating to the outstanding lists should be submitted on or before August 10, 2022.

Five Regional administrations (Regions Two, Four, Seven, Eight and 10), were also included on the default list, along with the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service, Guyana Rice Producers Association, Guyana Tourism Authority Board, Hinterland Electrification Company Inc, Judicial Service Commission along with six other state departments.

Another 15 agencies that fall under the remit of Town Councils have also been called out by the Integrity Commission for not submitting the lists. A few notable bodies included are the National Drainage & Irrigation Authority, Police Complaint Authority, Presidential Guard Service and the University of Guyana Berbice and Turkeyen Campuses.

The Integrity Commission was keen to note that all Specified Persons in Public life are required to submit their 2022 Declarations of Assets and Liabilities on or before August 31, 2022.

It noted, “All Specified Persons in Public Life are kindly asked to take note of their outstanding statutory obligations to submit an Annual Declaration of their Assets & Liabilities, including those for themselves, spouse and children.”

To this end, the public officials will be required to submit “Copy of income statement(s) from employer (s) for declaration period (salary statements, payslips, employment contract, cheque stubs where applicable); Copy of rental agreement (s); Copy of Transport (s) or Certificate of Title (s)/ Lease (s); Copy of latest valuation (s) conducted within the last three years pertaining to Transport or Certificate of Title or Leases; Bank statement (s) as at June 30, 2022; Copy of Certificate (s) of Registration for Motor Vehicle (s) and any other supporting documents…”

In the meantime, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Specified Persons in Public life are also reminded to submit their outstanding declaration forms along with the above supporting documents.

Section 22 of the Integrity Commission Act states that any person who fails to comply with the Act shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $25,000 and a term of no less than six months imprisonment, no longer than one year.