Officials obey Integrity Act

Last year, one Government Minister initially sent no declaration to the Integrity Commission; another Minister sent in a form minus the page containing ownership of land; two Ministers failed to sign their forms; and four Ministers wrongly dated their forms. Last year many Ministers made declarations at odds with what was commonly known about them, including saying they owned no land, although they are known to own a house which the Integrity Commission has said must be included in the definition of land.

Sunday Newsday examined a sample of the most recent declarations of assets and incomes for last year. The ten public figures all filed declarations which properly consisted of the four-page form, and which contained a signature and a current date.

The Statement of Registrable Interests declares a person’s company directorships, contracts with the State, investments in companies, trustee positions, beneficial trusts, land, contributions to funds, membership in political parties, income sources and conflicts of interest.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, in contrast to last year when his form suggested he had no sources of income, this year declared income from his governmental salary, rent from his house at San Fernando, and interest from the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC), First Citizens Bank (FCB) and the Central Bank.

However, just as for last year, he said he owned no land thereby omitting to mention his house despite an Integrity Commission spokesman having said that “land” includes a house. Under headings one and three, he declared his interest in Integrated Consultants Limited of Abercomby Street, Port-of-Spain.

He also declared his membership of the PNM, under heading eight.

Minister of Education, Hazel Manning, gave a similar declaration, which even seemed to have been filled out in the same handwriting as her husband’s form.

UNC leader Basdeo Panday declared an income consisting of his parliamentary salary, plus interest and dividends from investments, banks and UTC. He owned the lot of land of his Phillippines home, plus four holdings of land at St Julien, Ortoire, Torrib Trace, and Vega de Oropouche. He was a trustee of donations collected to build a wing of a school in Lutchmanpur, India.

Former Minister of Works, Franklin Khan, declared four sources of income including his ministerial salary, three pieces of land, and two investments in companies.

Minister of Local Government, Rennie Dumas, improved upon last year’s declaration in which he omitted the page dealing with any land he held. This year he declared that he owned two pieces of land including land at Signal Hill and the residential lot of his home in Plymouth, both in Tobago.

St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran declared he was director of Systematics Studies Limited, owned the lot containing his Tacarigua home and land at Mayaro, and had an income from Parliament, salary arrears as former governor of the Central Bank, lecturing at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and consulting for Systematics Studies.

Former Minister of Energy Eric Williams declared investments in Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) and Beacon Insurance of Houston, Texas, and said he contributed to the funds of the UTC, Roytrin and Westgate Resorts, a time-share run by Central Florida Investments. He left a blank space under beneficial trusts, apparently omitting Maranatha Geological Services.

Minister of Works and Transport, Colm Imbert, said he had no interests under headings one to five, owned his house and two pieces of land, and got income from his ministerial salary, severance pay from Imbert Construction Group, and investment interest and dividends.

Kirk Meighoo, who recently launched the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), filed a declaration as an Independent Senator. He is director of the TT Institute of the West Indies (TTIWI) and British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce.

He said he earns income from consultancy for miscellaneous sources including University of the West Indies, Caribbean Communication Network (CCN), Institute of Business, TTIWI., bpTT, and the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.

Super-technocrat, John Calder Hart, in his declaration said he is a paid director of four major public bodies, yet said he owns few assets.

He is chairman of Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott), chairman of Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company (TTMF), and a director of the National Insurance Board (NIB).

He gets director’s fees from the Home Mortgage Bank (from which he also gets a salary, bonus, and benefits in kind), Udecott, TTMF, and the NIB.

He also gets interest (presumably from investments) from RBTT, Republic Bank, and Home Mortgage Bank, and “sponsorship” from CL Financial.

Apart from the investments implied by the various interest he receives, Hart has no assets, saying he owns no land and has no investments in companies. He said he holds no contracts with the State, is neither beneficiary nor trustee of any trust, and makes no contribution to fund.

Under membership of organisations, Hart’s form has something very faintly typed and then apparently half-erased which read “Peoples National Movement” (PNM).