NDC Deputy Chairman appointed to NLA Board

by Linda Straker

• Quarless’ appointment is for 1 year
• NLA Board is the 3rd board named and Gazetted as being reconstituted
• Government must appoint board members to over 20 statutory boards

Sylvester Quarless, as of 18 July 2022, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Lotteries Authority (NLA). He is a former member of Parliament for St Andrew Southwest who served as Social Development and Environment Minister during the Tillman Thomas administration and is the current Deputy Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Quarless’ appointment is for 1 year. William Baptiste chairs the Board, and the Deputy Chairperson is Gail Purcell. Other board members are Karim Richards and Afi Ventour de Vega, Legal Counsel. NLA is responsible for promoting the development of lotteries, pools, and games of chance in Grenada.

The Board shall be responsible for the formulation of policy regarding the functions of the Authority. According to the Act establishing the NLA, the minister responsible for sports is responsible for appointing the Board.

The appointment of the NLA Board is the 3rd board named and Gazetted as being reconstituted since the NDC took over the administration of the country on 23 June 2022. The other approved boards are the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Committee and the Grenlec Board.

There are over 20 statutory boards in Grenada to which Government must appoint board members. They include National Insurance Scheme, Spicemas Corporation, Marketing and National Importing Board, National Water and Sewerage Authority, Planning and Development Authority, Grenada Cultural Foundation, National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Child Protection Authority, Grenada Airports Authority, Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada Bureau of Standards, Grenada National Stadium Authority, Grenada Development Bank, Gravel, Concrete & Emulsion Production Corporation, Grenada Postal Corporation, and Housing Authority of Grenada.

According to the Integrity in Public Life Act, all chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of Boards must declare their assets to the Integrity Commission. The Commission will typically write to the relevant people, informing them when and what time they are to complete and submit the required information.

Failure to comply with the request to declare assets results in an individual’s name being published in the Government Gazette with a timeline given, and if that timeline is not met, then the Integrity Commission will seek an ex parte application to the court for an order directing the person in public life to comply.