Integrity law lessons

All government ministers and Members of Parliament will today attend a seminar hosted by the Integrity Commission to show them how to file their declarations to be compliant with the Integrity in Public Life Act.

As it moves to aggressively enforce the provisions of the act, the commission is going on an education drive which will see it holding seminars for all categories of persons covered under the law.

Today’s seminar, which specifically targets ministers, MPs and senators, takes place in the Parliament Chamber from 10.30 am to 12 noon.

The seminar is closed to the media.

Among the experts the commission will bring to speak are investigating analysts, S Gilbert and Christopher Ramsey, and legal advisor, D Ramkisson.

The failure of many public officials to file their declarations has become a controversial issue. It was one of the main arguments of the defence in the Basdeo Panday case.

Defence lawyers argued that Panday was being prosecuted for filing a false declaration while others who did not file declarations or who did not file properly were not charged.

The commission will hold similar seminars for other categories of persons who under the act must file declarations of income, assets and liabilities.

These include members of State boards, senior public servants and members of the judiciary.

Sources said the commission’s proactive stance was because of the undue attention being paid to the act and the commission’s role in enforcing the law. It also explains the commission’s about-face on the issue of members of the judiciary filing declarations.

Overturning its position taken in a letter sent to Chief Justice Sat Sharma last year, which informed him that judges and magistrates would be exempt from filing returns, the commission published an advertisement, on Sunday, stating they were required to file their declarations of income, assets and liabilities and statements of registrable interests for 2005 by May 31.

Sources stated the commission, which had been criticised for its initial decision, had come to the view that until the law was changed it could not exempt anyone “willy nilly.”

“Only Parliament can amend the law and until Parliament does that, the commission is duty-bound to state what the statute says — that judges and magistrates are among the persons who are required to file declaration,” said a source.