Opposition Parliamentarians will be the first group of persons in public life to declare income, assets and liabilities to The Integrity Commission for the new year.
13 members of Parliament made up of elected representatives, senators, as well as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and are expected to lodge their documents with the Commission on 26 January 2023, beginning at 9 am.
Among the Opposition members receiving notices to file, more than half have filed declarations before so this would not be a new process for them.
Approximately 6 months after assuming office, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell along with his cabinet, elected representatives and senators, were invited to file their Declarations. 13 of the 16 persons invited to file then, have since declared their assets. The Office of the Integrity Commission will determine when the remaining 3, who requested extensions, will be given future dates for filing.
The Integrity Commission, which was set up by an Act of Parliament in 2013 has as one of its mandates to “…obtain declaration of the assets, liabilities, income and interest in relation to property of persons in public life…” Integrity in Public Life Act No 24 of 2013.
The Commission began receiving Declarations in 2014, shortly after its offices were set up.
To date, the Commission has received a total of 1,258 declarations from persons in public life from the following categories: Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Finance Officers, Permanent Secretaries, Senior Officers of Ministries and Departments, Heads of Statutory Bodies, Law Enforcement, and Parliamentarians.
Office of The Integrity Commission
Another misleading headline from NowGrenada. Back on Dec 1 they reported Dickon and two ministers had filed their declarations, and clearly several others had done so before the new year. So actually, the opposition parliamentarians are among the LAST of the pack to declare, they just happen to be the first of the new year. The graph is instructive, too– those years of clean sweeps for NNP were clearly not good for transparency….
Well meaning exercise for Show, but do most or all disclose all Assets ?
For Integrity purposes, it should reflect all audited & documented & disclosed income & assets. Further question arises when some of this income or assets were through the usual other ways & means and that is where I have concerns over any of these annual window dressing.
Public servants income/assets and liabilities before, during and after public must be made public.
It’s very unlikely that there will an independent body without political interference to make checks and balances are in place.
Just the fact that someone can send $10k to a public official shows the corrupt exist.
What first comes to mind, is if what politicians earn via Public Service vs on the side and/or under the table side incomes in fact would not be declared.
It appears surely not; making this entire undertaking being more for public consumption rather than showing the true facts.
Time will tell as surely much is in the air as to storm clouds.
Let us hope for independent outside accounting & audits.