Seventy-Nine Persons in Public Life Failed to Submit Filings

Cheryl Lynn Vidal

The Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act seeks to strengthen measures to prevent and combat corruption, as well as establish probity, integrity, and responsibility in public life. But several people in public life have failed to follow the act. That’s because the act calls for persons elected to public office, including parliamentarians, to file a declaration of financial affairs dating to the thirty-first of December of each year. But there is a long list of parliamentarians and two city councilors who have failed to do so, making them noncompliant and, basically, breaking the law. That list of persons was published in the Gazette in October by the Integrity Commission, the body to which those in public life should submit their filings. The Integrity Commission has the option to report the matter to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for further action. So today, we asked DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal about it.

Cheryl Lynn Vidal, Director of Public Prosecutions

“You are asking me why I have not received anything?  I think you need to ask the people who are supposed to send it to me why I have not received it as yet.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Is there anything in the act or regulations that say that you would need to or you can ask them for their filings if there are in noncompliance?”

Cheryl Lynn Vidal

“There is a process set out where they do the publication and they send the files to me and I have been informed that the files are being prepared and they will be sent to be shortly.”

Hipolito Novelo

“How long have they’ve been in noncompliance, do you know?”

Cheryl Lynn Vidal

 “I am not certain. I have not seen any of the documents as yet.”

Hipolito Novelo

“But would that be for years?”

Cheryl Lynn Vidal

 “I have seen the documents. I won’t be able to respond.”

The list is made up of seventy-nine names.