Some Members of Parliament this past weekend were rushing to conform with the law and meet the deadline on public disclosure. It is unclear whether all Free National Movement (FNM) parliamentarians have met the March 1st deadline, according to FNM Chairman Carl Culmer who spoke yesterday in a telephone conversation with The Journal.
The rush came about after House Speaker Halson Moultrie reminded the Members of Parliament at the last sitting of the House of Assembly this past Wednesday that they had 48 hours to complete the declaration.
The Public Disclosure Act requires senators, members of parliament, senior public officers and public appointees to declare assets, income, and liabilities as at December 31st , before the 1st of March.
Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands and Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper posted their disclosure receipts on their social media pages this past Friday.
Meantime, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Fred Mitchell announced on Friday that all PLP parliamentarians “have complied with the provisions of the Public Disclosure Act 1976, by filing the executed Form A”.
According to the Act, if anyone is found guilty of an offence, they will be liable of “conviction on information”.
If the information or anything contained in a declaration, or other document published is untrue , offenders are subjected to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
In any other case, they will have to pay a fine “not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and imprisonment”.
All declarations are examined by the public disclosure commission.
