Over 180 regional officials fail to declare assets to Integrity Commission

Aug 13, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – The names of 184 regional officials have been published in the official gazette for failing to declare their assets to Integrity Commission.

The names listed by the Integrity Commission include multiple officials from each of the ten administrative regions. The list includes persons who as of August 4, 2023 failed to make their submission for the 2022 declarations period of July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022. The names were published in keeping with section 9 of the Integrity Commission Act.

After it was reconstituted last year, the Integrity Commission published a notice in the daily newspapers calling on Public Officials to declare their assets by the end of the year.

However, as of July, 2022, the Commission stated that it had only five declarations from a total 1232 officials who were scheduled to submit their records.

Despite a four-month extension in 2022 for the submission of declarations by public officials to the Integrity Commission, 828 submissions are reportedly still outstanding.

The Commission had pointed out that included in the 828 defaulters for 2022, are 17 Members of Parliament (MPs). There are an additional 104 people from ministries and 493 from agencies and departments.

The commission had promised if declarations are still not received, they would be to seek prosecution of the defaulter.

The Integrity Commission was put in place to improve public confidence in the integrity of persons in public life by administering and enforcing the Integrity Commission Act which comprises the Code of Conduct, and Declarations of income, assets, and liabilities. The body assists in the improvement of the standards of good governance, transparency, and accountability in government.

Having expired on February 21, 2021, a new board of the Integrity Commission was sworn in on May 2022 by Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman at the Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

The five new members of the Integrity Commission are Dr. Jocelin Kim Kyte-Thomas; Mrs. Chandra Gajraj, Mohamed Ispahani Haniff, Hardesh Tewari, and Wayne Bowman.

In accordance with the law, the Integrity Commission is duty bound to receive and verify the accuracy of declarations of financial affairs from public officials.

The Integrity Commission Act states that, anyone who fails to make a declaration without reasonable cause shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of $25,000 and to imprisonment for a term of not less than six months nor more than one year.

Section 2, Chapter 22 states specifically, “Any person who—(a) (i) fails, without reasonable cause, to file with the Commission or the President, as the case may be, a declaration which he is required to file in accordance with the provisions of this Act; or (ii) knowingly files with the Commission or the President a declaration that is not complete or is false in any material particular; or (b) fails, without reasonable cause, to comply with a request made under section 18 or 21 (2) by the Commission, the President or a Tribunal, within the time specified there for by the Commission, the President or the Tribunal, as the case may be, or gives incomplete or false information pursuant to the request.”

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Dr. Jocelin Kim Kyte-Thomas, Hardesh Tewari, Integrity Commission, Mohamed Ispahani Haniff, Mrs. Chandra Gajraj

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