Senators Discuss Integrity Commission Appointments

Osmany Salas

The Senate on Tuesday approved the appointment of six persons to the Integrity Commission. They are Lisbeth Delgado, Armead Gabourel, Wilmot Simmons, Nestor Vasquez, Zoe Roberson Zetina, and Claudette Grinage. The appointment of Chairperson, attorney Deshawn Arzu-Torres, was approved by the Senate in July 2018. This was after Justice Marilyn Williams resigned from the position to take up the post of Supreme Court Justice. The Integrity Commission was established under the 2007 Prevention of Corruption Act with the aim to probe declared statements of assets and liabilities of individuals in public life, specifically elected politicians. Senators Osmany Salas and Mark Lizarraga both expressed that the list of persons who are required to submit financial declarations should be expanded.

Osmany Salas, Senator for N.G.O.s

“For the 2017/2018 fiscal year we should have had a report from the commission by twenty first May 2018. That is long past. By May of this year a second record should be coming through. In a sense I am not too surprise that that has not come forward. I had mentioned last year and I will repeat again, for that Commissioner to be effective in its work and its functions it needs to have a properly staffed secretariat. With a well start secretariat, we can start to talk about increasing the types of persons that should be declaring and we should then be talking about other public officials in particular those who are involved in revenue collection or overseeing revenue collections.”

Mark Lizarraga

Mark Lizarraga, Senator for Private Sector

“So following up on Senator Salas’s intervention, I too recommend that since this is the second year that we continue to add more people to that list. There list included police officials of a certain rank, civil service personnel of a certain rank and above, customs officials of a certain rank. It was a long list and I don’t remember all of them but I think Mr. President that this is the time for widening the net for the Integrity Commission so that people can begin to have more confidence in those in the public service.”

Godwin Hulse

Minister Godwin Hulse, Senator for Government Business

“But I want to caution the people who are being appointed that in fact that there is an element of confidentiality that is required. We cannot start from a position that everybody is corrupt and everybody is a thief etc. I also look for the widening of the net and I also look for the fact and support the fact should declare their assets and of course their liabilities as well because they go hand in hand.”

The appointment is for the period of two years. Senators also approved the reappointed of Lionel Arzu as the Ombudsman.  The Senate is satisfied that Arzu is a fit and proper person to be reappointed to the post. He was reappointed for a further period of one year with effect of April first 2019.