Public Servants Delinquent in Declaring Assets

The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption has reported that more than half of all public servants required to make declarations to the Commission have been delinquent.
The Commission is mandated to collect and scrutinise statutory declarations of assets, liabilities and income of public servants, who earn more than $3 million per year or work in sensitive areas such as customs, immigration, the military and the police force.
However, Secretary/Manager at the Commission, Mr. David Grey, told JIS News that just 40 to 45 per cent of public servants have been complying with the rules. He disclosed that of the 23,447 persons expected to make declarations last year, only 11,900 did so.
“The selection criterion is not on any declaration year; it covers a declarant and it will probably cover several years. We have sent so far to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) four matters, which I think they have ruled on two and that is after all the necessary steps were taken to avail the declarants of corrections, which may have come up, and additional information that may have been required to satisfy the Commission,” he explained.
Mr. Grey said the Commission will be working with the DPP to step up legal action against delinquent declarants in an effort to send a strong message. He is also imploring the various Government agencies to ensure than their employees understand that they are required to make declarations to the Commission.
Persons can be fined as much as $250,000 per outstanding declaration or face imprisonment if they fail to make their declarations.
Annual declarations to the Commission become due on December 31 with the final date for payment being March 31, 2010.
Mr. Grey is imploring public sector employees, who are in doubt regarding whether they should be making declarations, to contact the Commission at 968-6227 or 960-0470. Declaration forms can be downloaded from the Ministry of Justice’s website at www.moj.gov.jm.