–despite preaching transparency

DESPITE the Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton constantly preaching that he has nothing to hide, he has been listed among those persons who have failed to submit their declarations to the Integrity Commission in 2023.
Opposition Parliamentarian Sherod Duncan was also flagged for failing to submit his declarations to the commission.

Norton, as People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader, has used the party’s press conference to be vocal about transparency and accountability; however, this latest revelation is just one of many manifestations that show otherwise.
The PNCR has constantly found itself mired in allegations of corruption. For example, according to former PNCR Treasurer, Faaiz Mursaline, in a previous interview with this publication, from the time he assumed the position of elected treasurer, he was made to sign blank cheques without supporting documents.

In November 2022, he signed as many as 20 blank cheques. Additionally, the PNCR’s internal elections were also submerged in allegations of financial unaccountability and electoral irregularities.
From the inception, the PNCR’s own members objected to the congress as there were numerous allegations of irregularities that placed a dark cloud over the party.
And even as time progressed and the party geared up for its opening ceremony on June 28, those who challenged the leadership “suspended” their campaigns because of the lack of transparency, among other allegations of infractions.
What was even more shocking was that despite painting the PNCR as a political party with an increasing membership, the party was caught red-handed as the number of delegates constantly changed.
In a gazetted notice issued by the Integrity Commission, Norton, Duncan and APNU+AFC parliamentarian Dineshwar Jaiprashad, are among 179 others who were named as “specified persons” who failed to comply with the requirement to submit their declarations for the period of June 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.

The notice highlights that the continued failure to file now constitutes an offence under Section 22 of the Commission’s Act No. 1997. If found guilty, the offenders may face a fine of $25,000 and a prison term ranging from six months to one year.
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Dr Bharat Jagdeo, last year, expressed his concern over the opposition MPs’ failure to submit declarations to the Integrity Commission.
During a press conference, Dr Jagdeo emphasised that, that was the highest number of delinquencies in the past five years.

In comparison, he pointed out that during the previous three years under the former APNU+AFC government no declarations were submitted at all.
“We are not here to defend any public officer who does not submit their returns to the Integrity Commission. That is a law of our country, and we fully support the publication of all the names of the people who are in default,” Dr Jagdeo said.
On February 21, 2021, the previous board of the Integrity Commission reached the end of its term.

Subsequently, a new board consisting of Dr Kim Kyte-Thomas, Mohamed Ispahani Haniff, Hardesh Tewari, and Wayne Bowman, with Chandra Gajraj serving as the Chair of the Commission, was formed in May 2022.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Office of the President, located on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive in Georgetown, and was officiated by Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman.
The Integrity Commission recently issued a warning to public officers who have not submitted their 2022 declarations.

“As of February 2023, the commission has sent out notices to several specified public officers for failure to file their declarations. The next step is that defaulters will have their names published in the local press and the Official Gazette. If declarations are still not received, the final step would be to seek prosecution of the defaulters,” the commission said in a statement.
Last December, the commission extended the submission deadline for declarations by persons in public life.