UNC claims Manning ignored justice des iles

THE United National Congress (UNC) claimed Prime Minister Patrick Manning “willfully ignored” the correspondence and advice of former Integrity Commission (IC) chairman, retired Justice Gerald Des Iles to lay in Parliament the declaration forms for persons in public life who come under the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000.

In a statement yesterday, the UNC declared: “The failure of the Manning Administration to heed the advice of former IC chairman Gerald Des Iles virtually rendered the Commission powerless as regards its constitutional role and function. Prime Minister Manning had an entire year to lay the declaration forms and failed to do so. The Opposition sees this as an act of gross incompetence tantamount to a dereliction of duty.” The Opposition wondered “if this deliberate and calculated strategy on the part of the Prime Minister of ignoring the advice of the former IC chairman was designed to cover up corruption in the PNM government and to protect the perpetrators of that corruption.” The UNC called upon Attorney General Glenda Morean to lay the declaration forms in Parliament forthwith “so as to facilitate urgent investigations into the finances of Works Minister Franklyn Khan” who recently purchased a house in Moka. The UNC added that only Parliament could alter the the present integrity legislation and Cabinet would be in violation of the doctrine of separation of powers, the law and Section 138 of the Constitution.