Integrity forms out

Wednesday’s reported ability of 10,000 copies of the Prescribed Forms which are necessary under the Integrity In Public Life Act 2000 for persons in public life to declare their assets/interests now makes it possible for public officials, who fall under the Act, to comply with its requirements, and the prosecution of those who do not. Public officials, who come under the umbrella of the Act and, ipso facto, required to fill out the forms, include Government Ministers and backbenchers; Opposition Members of Parliament; Judges and Members of State Boards.

The forms were approved by Parliament in November of last year and the relevant public officials were placed under a legal obligation to file their returns following on the forms being gazetted in February. There would have been constraints merely with the gazetting, however, on the ability of the public officials concerned to have filed their returns bearing in mind the availability of copies of the Trinidad Gazette. With the printing and distribution of the forms, as Attorney General, Senator John Jeremie, advised Newsday: “There is no loophole after that.” The Act and the forms, in demanding that required public officials declare their assets and/or interests and affix their signatures to the filled out forms, are part of the ongoing battle against corruption. Any persons signing to information they know to be false, with specific reference to non-disclosure of assets and/or interests, will expose themselves to being charged under the Act, and if found guilty with imprisonment and/or fines.

Although, it has long been a provision under Trinidad and Tobago law that officers in the Public Service or employed by State Enterprises (albeit above a clearly specified rank) and certain other public officials were required to disclose their assets, this was all too often observed more in the breach. In turn, with the advent of Ministerial Government, a loophole in the law, allowed for Government Ministers to transfer to the names of their wives, or place in a trust, interests in a company doing business with or likely to do business with the State. This represented not only the evading of internationally accepted rules of conduct but a tacit conflict of interest as well that needed to be addressed. Several Government Ministers along with some of the other public officials appeared to acquire wealth over the years, including shares in highly profitable companies and enjoy lifestyles not in keeping with their declared incomes. The loopholes would continue and with it the corrupting of additional public officials, and the increasing loss to the country of funds that could have been allocated to improved health services, care for the aged and/or infiirm, schools, roads and water distribution among others. Hopefully, the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000 and the gazetting and printing of the forms will enable the authorities to effectively deal with officials who insist on being corrupt.