The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

AT least eight sitting senators are outstanding on their annual public disclosures, according to documents obtained by The Tribune.

Senate president Sharon Wilson and Minister of Finance Michael Halkitis were among 19 sitting and former senators listed in a June report by the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) for failure to file declarations for the year ending 2011.

Sitting members listed as non-compliant include Gregory Burrows, Jerome Gomez, Heather Hunt, Michael Pintard, Julian Russell, Frank Smith and Tanisha Tynes.

Former senators include John Delaney, Dion Foulkes, Jacinta Higgs, Frederick McAlpine, Anthony Musgrove, Dr Duane Sands, David Thompson, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace and Tanya Wright.

According to Prime Minister Perry Christie, the PDC has expressed concern over the widespread failure of officials to comply with legislation mandating the turnover of annual financial declarations.

The law requires disclosures to be turned into the PDC by March each year.

According to Mr Christie, the PDC reported in June that “a number” of present and former parliamentarians and senators, along with senior public officers, have failed to submit declarations as mandated in the Act.

Mr Christie has confirmed to The Tribune that he has been in full compliance with the Act throughout his tenure. However, it is still unclear on whether there will be any penalties levelled for non-compliance.

At a public demonstration over Freedom of Information last month, Opposition leader Dr Hubert Minnis said that anyone who had not filed their declarations should be jailed.

According to the Act, a summary of the declarations shall be published in a gazette and any person who does not comply with the law is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment of not more than two years.