The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard has warned he will publicly release the list of officials who filed their financial declarations if the chairman of the Public Disclosures Committee continues to withhold the information, nine months after the legal deadline passed.

His comments followed The Tribune’s inquiry to the committee chairman, Bishop Victor Cooper, regarding the status of filings. Bishop Cooper’s indirect and unclear responses left unresolved which MPs, senators and senior public officers complied with the March 1 requirement.

“He should release the information, and if he doesn't, we'll just go ahead and release that information to you,” Mr Pintard told reporters outside the House of Assembly.

“There are some members of Parliament and members of the Senate who released consistent with the timeline. There are others who release, I guess they had explanations after. There’s at least one member who didn't release at all,” he said.

Mr Pintard said there is no reason the chairman should not publish the list, adding that transparency is his responsibility under the law.

The disclosure deadline was March 1, though some officials reportedly sought extensions. The system has long faced criticism over late submissions and, in many people's view, a chronic lack of openness about compliance.

Mr Pintard has repeatedly argued that delays weaken public confidence in the integrity of elected officials. In March, he raised concerns that the committee had still not produced the legally mandated compliance list, despite the requirement for annual filings.

The committee has previously attributed delays to accessibility challenges and facility limitations — explanations that critics say fall short of what the law demands.

In March, the FNM announced that all of its parliamentarians met this year’s filing deadline under the Public Disclosure Act.

Several Davis administration officials also told The Tribune that they filed their declarations, including Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper; Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin; Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey; National Security Minister Wayne Munroe; Labour and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle; Energy and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis; Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg; Social Services Minister Myles Laroda; Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder; Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Leon Lundy; Health Minister Dr Michael Darville; and Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis.

The Tribune was unable to reach several other elected officials for comment.