Chief Citizen Alfred Mentore and the mayors of Rose Hall, Anna Regina and Lethem are among specified persons in public life who have failed to submit their returns to the Integrity Commission for the period July 1st, 2021 to June 30th, 2022 and they have been warned to do so by October 23rd or face prosecution.
Rose Hall, Anna Regina and Lethem mayors: Dave Budhu, Rajendra Prabhulall and John Macedo respectively are on the list of defaulters along with former Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall.
The notice published in the Official Gazette of September 23, 2023 warned that those defaulters who fail to submit their 2022 declaration form on or before Monday, October 23 are liable to a fine of $25,000 along with six months imprisonment.
Section 22 of the 1997 Com-mission’s Act also provides a fine of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per day for those who further failed to submit their financial declaration as it is deemed a continuing offence.
Forty persons were listed in the notice, they include the city’s Director of Solid Waste Management Walter Narine, former Head of Immigration and Support Services Carol Lewis Primo, former Director of the Childcare Protection Agency Ann Greene, former Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle, former Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Bureau Dr Lowell Porter and former GYEITI Coordinator Dr. Rampadarat Jadoopat. Several employees of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board are also among the defaulters.
The Integrity Commission has reported that out of 1,587 financial declarations only 635 public officials have submitted their financial declarations for the periods July 1, 2022 to June 30 2023.
This information was provided to Stabroek News recently by Secretary of the Integrity Com-mission, Dr Amanda Jaisingh.
The data showed that for the period July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, only 911 public officers had submitted their financial declarations, with 599 defaulters (persons who failed to submit their financial declarations for that period).
The Integrity Commission as of August reminded all persons specified to be in public life to submit their 2023 Financial Declarations by August 31, 2023 but there has been no formal word from the body on whether these individuals have complied.
The notice stated that all specified persons in public life were required to take note of their statutory obligation to submit an annual declaration of their assets and liabilities including those for their spouse and children. They were also reminded to submit any outstanding declarations along with supporting documents.
The Commission made it clear that non-compliant persons (those who failed to submit their declarations) are liable to a fine of $25,000 together with six months of imprisonment.
In May of this year, the Integrity Commission issued a warning to those public officers who had not submitted their 2022 declarations. It had disclosed that notices were sent out to several specified public officers for failure to file their declarations. At that time, seventeen Members of Parliament were listed as delinquent, with 108 in ministries, 208 in the regions, and 493 in agencies and departments.
The body noted that if these individuals failed to submit their Declaration Forms on or before July 31, 2023, legal action would be taken and they would be liable to a fine of $25,000 together with six months jail time or not more than a year. It further stated that a fine of $10,000 per day would be handed out to the same individuals if they still fail to comply.
Also noted was the fact that earlier in August the Integrity Commission had served notice in the Official Gazette to 184 regional officials and councilors who had failed to submit their declarations for the 2022 period (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022).
