Missing: Integrity forms belonging to London

THE Integrity Commission said it has not received a statement of interestsfrom Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary, Orville London, as required by the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000, but London said he sent it. The Integrity Act requires that persons in public life file a brief statement of their interests which is open to inspection by the public (Form B), plus a detailed and confidential declaration of their income, assets and liabilities (Form A).

When Sunday Newsday last Friday asked to look at the statement of interests of London, the Integrity Commission responded: “There is no entry for this person in the records of the Integrity Commission”. But when Sunday Newsday contacted London at his Tobago home yesterday, he replied he had submitted the forms to the Integrity Commission. He said he had received a package of documents from the Commission. These, he said, he had filled out, dated, and signed, and then sent by messenger from Tobago to the Integrity Commission in Trinidad. London said he still possessed a copy of two forms.   London expressed surprise on hearing the Commission had no record of his Form B.

But he admitted that he had never telephoned the Commission to check if the documents had arrived. “I’m glad you raised the matter. I will definitely check with the Integrity Commission to see if it reached them.” Recalling how much background paperwork he had done to prepare his declarations, he said he was usually very careful about such things. “I try to follow all the regulations.” London then located a copy of each of the two forms under question. He read out his Form B to Sunday Newsday over the telephone. His interests were his house, and some land, both located at Signal Hill, Tobago; income as “remuneration as Chief Secretary” and “pension as retired principal II”; and membership of the PNM. London thanked Sunday Newsday. “If for some reason it didn’t get to them, I am happy you raised it because you saved me some embarrassment.”