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Over 600 public officers still to declare assets to integrity commission
The chart available on the website of the Integrity Commission
Kaieteur News – Six hundred and twenty eight public officers are yet to make declarations to the Integrity Commission in keeping with the law that promotes transparency.
The officers are required to make a declaration of personal assets. This was revealed when the Commission released a chart via its website recently which outlined how many officers submitted their declarations. According to the chart for last year alone out of 1580, 952 public officials made declarations to the commission, while the remaining 628 persons have yet to do so.
Those outstanding should have submitted their declarations on or before the due date of June 30. While the Commission has not given any detail as to identify of the public life defaulters, the names of those persons will be released if they continue to be in default. Kaieteur News had previously reported that the names of 184 regional officials have been published in the official gazette for failing to declare their assets to Integrity Commission.
Integrity Commission had published a list of 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 in 2022, 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, 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 that if declarations are still not received, they would 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.
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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