TT corruption legislation strong

UNITED National Congress (UNC) chairman, Wade Mark yesterday knocked a report from a Government-hired consultant which described the Integrity Commission as “too weak.”

In a newspaper report yesterday, British consultant Bernard de Speville (former member of the Hong Kong Anti-Corruption Commission) submitted a report to Cabinet which said anti-corruption efforts in Trinidad and Tobago were having a  limited effect, and the mechanisms employed by the Integrity Commission were unable to deal with instances of alleged corruption. However, Mark scoffed at the report, claiming that Government was engaging in a cover-up of its financial activities. He said it was under the UNC that the Public Integrity Act of 2000 was placed on the statute books, and the Prevention of Corruption Act 2001 would have been passed in Parliament if former Ministers Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Trevor Sudama and Ralph Maraj had not broken ranks with the UNC over its handling of corruption allegations. The December 2001 elections followed shortly thereafter, removing the party from office.

“The legislation is as strong as you can have it,” Mark declared. The UNC chairman stated that since 1999, no public official was able to declare their assets because the Integrity Commission was not provided with the necessary forms. Mark added all that was required was a simple tabling in Parliament which would approve these forms for the Commission’s use. He claimed Government was hedging on this issue in order to avoid scrutiny of its financial affairs. Asked whether a date had been set for a meeting between Police Commissioner Hilton Guy, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and political parties contesting the July 14 Local Government Elections, Mark said he expected a meeting would be held some time later this week.