By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
SIX months after the deadline for financial disclosures by parliamentarians had passed, Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard said he is “not surprised” that the list of those who failed to disclose has still not been revealed.
The initial deadline for officials to disclose their assets and liabilities was March 1.
“I only got the list for the senators who did not disclose but not the members of parliament," Mr Pintard told The Tribune yesterday.
Mr Pintard has called on the Davis administration repeatedly to comply with the Public Disclosures Act. Under the law, parliamentarians and senators, along with senior public officers, are required to submit their disclosures to the Public Disclosure Commission by March each year.
When asked if he was frustrated that a list of which elected officials had not disclosed was still not provided to him, Mr Pintard said no.
“Quite frankly, I wouldn't want to be dishonest about it - I am not frustrated because I have very little expectation of the government,” Mr Pintard said. “They’re not given to honouring their commitments to follow up on these matters or comply with the law in general. So, this is just par for the course. This is how they function while they’re being bullish about others complying with a whole host of other laws in the country as they should.”
The Public Disclosure Commission chairman Bishop Victor Cooper said in July that many senators and senior civil servants failed to disclose their assets, income, and liabilities this year as the law requires. He could not say for certain whether any elected officials failed to follow the law.
Mr Pintard said that the opposition will write to Mr Cooper tomorrow regarding the members of parliament who failed to disclose.
“Our letter to the chairman will go out tomorrow, relative to the members of parliament and then we'll go from there,” Mr Pintard said.
Mr Pintard said the government has a track record of not complying with the law.
“This matter of public disclosure, this is not at all surprising.”
In July, Bishop Cooper said he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Opposition Leader Michael Pintard with names of people who did not comply with the law.
The Public Disclosure Act empowers only two people to act on delinquent filings: the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
Either of them can publish the information through communication in the House of Assembly or cause for it to be laid in the Senate. Either can authorise that the information be presented to the attorney general or commissioner of police so those who failed to disclose could face a penalty.
The penalty for not disclosing is a $10,000 fine and/or up to two years in prison.
Repeated attempts to contact Bishop Cooper by The Tribune yesterday were unsuccessful.
Comments
bahamianson 7 months, 3 weeks ago
They need to put the names of the people that have disclosed in the paper. We can do the rest of the work. The government is total crap. The same government publicized names of engineers, Physicians, Dentist, etc in the paper , but they can't put their own names in the paper? No one goes after them. Who will watch , the watchers? Total corruption!!!
DiverBelow 7 months, 3 weeks ago
The definition of transparency has been changed by politicians, "only when convenient" has been added. 3rd World Characters! It's no surprise legitimate investors are cautious...
themessenger 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Yes, if we lie to the government it's a crime, if they lie to us its politics!
mandela 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Oh shut up Mr. Pintard every year since 1967 or thereabouts to the present government, nether has any respect for transparency and the laws that govern our parliament. There has nerver been punishment levied to anyone at anytime in our history for not doing so, so why would they comply?
Dawes 7 months, 3 weeks ago
And they never will. The people do not need to know, they just need to vote for either of the two parties every 5 years and then accept it all.
Sickened 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Brave has always been a lackey for other people. Now that he's in charge he still can't be a man and do the right thing because his testicles are still on Perry's nightstand. One can only hope that Brave follows the law before he loses power. No respect!
Sickened 7 months, 3 weeks ago
And let's not talk about the Bishop. My lord he must be sweating every time he hears thunder. Won't be long before the good Lord strikes him down for his part in cover for these corrupt politicians.
FreeportFreddy 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Cyclical corruption by the supposed 2 parties. Party 1 in office and do a bunch of crap. Party 2 gets elected and promises change, blames everything on Party 1. Party 2 does NOTHING to address crimes of Party 1. Party 2 in office and does a bunch of crap. Party 1 gets elected....continue for 50+ years.
They sit back and laugh at the taxpayers because it's a big game to them and they are winning it at taxpayers expense.
FreeportFreddy 7 months, 3 weeks ago
This and other issues are the reason the PLP will start an issue with the GBPA over Freeport and Hawksbill. It will draw attention away from their corrupt doings.
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