‘It’s about time’

A frustrated Delroy Chuck on Thursday called for the Integrity Commission (IC) to clear up the matter of the unknown six parliamentarians being investigated for illicit enrichment, which has been hanging over the heads of legislators for close to a year.

“I don’t know when the [IC’s] annual report will be coming, but it is about time we have [answers] about the illicit enrichment of six members [and] whether or not one or all six have been cleared,” Chuck told the IC Oversight Committee during its sitting Thursday.

The IC, in its 2022/23 annual report tabled in Parliament last July, revealed that six parliamentarians and 28 public officials were being investigated for illicit enrichment.

Chuck, the minister of justice, pointed out that when the IC’s Director of Information and Complaints Craig Beresford was before the committee he said that the basis of the illicit enrichment was a mismatch between expenditure and income.

However, Chuck said if the IC is unable to clear up the matter in relation to the six individuals “then we need some indication from the IC what is being done”.

He stressed that having the matter continuing to linger is not fair to parliamentarians, adding that when people see him on the street they ask if he is one of the six.

“They need to clear this thing up,” said the obviously frustrated justice minister.

One of the main business of the committee, Chuck said, is to consider the annual report of the IC and asked if some indication could be given when the commission’s latest report will be tabled.

Committee Chairman Edmund Bartlett, in response, said the time for submission has not yet elapsed and advised that the commission be given the appropriate time to complete its report.

“We have between now and June for that report, to my best understanding. So I don’t think that we should have the commission feeling rushed or pushed to have the annual report ready,” he said.

Section 14 (5)(a) of the Corruption Prevention Act states that illicit enrichment happens when a public servant owns assets disproportionate to his/her lawful earnings. Upon being requested by the commission or any person duly authorised to investigate an allegation of corruption against him/her, if a person fails to do so or gives an explanation which is not considered to be satisfactory, that individual shall be liable to prosecution for the offence of illicit enrichment.

The IC had also said in its 2022/23 report that seven legislators and 32 public officials were under investigation for providing false information to the commission, which amounts to breaches of the Integrity Commission and Corruption Prevention Acts.

In its 2021/22 report, the commission had said one parliamentarian and three public officials were under investigation for illicit enrichment, while three parliamentarians and five public officials were under probe for providing false information to the commission.

In the 2020/21 report, six parliamentarians were said to be under investigation for illicit enrichment.

None of the individuals under investigation have so far been arrested or charged.