Questions raised about IC handling of PM's statutory declarations

By Nakinskie Robinson    

 

Questions are being asked about the lack of movement by the Integrity Commission in its handling of the Prime Minister's statutory declarations.

 

The concern follows the oversight body's recommendation that former People's National Party MP for Central Westmoreland, Dwayne Vaz be charged for failing to provide information required by the Director of Information and Complaints in 2019.

 

In response, Mr. Vaz said, on May 18, 2021, the Commission confirmed that his statutory declaration up to December 31, 2019 was completed.

 

He also claimed that during a hearing on the matter on April 9, at the Kingston & St. Andrew Parish Court, the lawyers representing the Integrity Commission indicated that they were unaware of the letter from the Commission certifying his declaration.

 

Political commentator Lloyd B. Smith contends that if Mr. Vaz's claims hold water, then the Commission's actions could be labelled as being discriminatory. 

 

"On the surface, it would appear that the Integrity Commission is acting in a selective way in dealing with persons who may come in its crosshairs, and it needs to swiftly clarify the issue. If not, the public is likely to think that the Prime Minister is above the rest of the citizenry in terms of what is expected in the Integrity Commission's actions against anyone that is in breach.," he reasoned. 

 

Mr. Smith said the current situation and past missteps have brought into question the oversight body's effectiveness and reliability. 

 

"The time has come for the Integrity Commission to come clean. And it must do every single bit of due diligence...because Mr. Vaz's character and reputation could be seriously damaged. So I think the Integrity Commission needs to be more careful in how it sets about dealing with its investigations and having done its investigations, carrying out whatever action it intends to do. There has to be a greater level of clarity. There has to be a greater level of probity," he suggested.   

 

The commentator argued that the Commission has not sought to address in a meaningful way, the controversy surrounding the Prime Minister's declarations. 

 

"The big question, therefore, the Integrity Commission needs to answer, and most urgently so, is why it has not acted more decisively in dealing with problems relating to the Prime Minister's declaration or the lack thereof." 

 

The Commission has said it has not been able to certify Prime Minister Andrew Holness' statutory declaration for 2021.