Integrity Commission official signals new corruption probe reports coming soon

While signalling that investigations into illicit enrichment and other acts of corruption require more time and extensive scrutiny, Director of Investigations at the Integrity Commission (IC) Kevon Stephenson has signalled that the country will soon have an appreciation of the complexity of these probes when the anti-corruption body releases reports on these offences to Parliament.

“I am sure that very soon, the Parliament and the country will understand the nature of some of these investigations just by virtue of reports that are produced by the work of the commission,” Stephenson said as he fielded questions yesterday from members of the Integrity Commission Oversight Committee of Parliament.

Stephenson did not make reference to investigations into the six parliamentarians who are being probed for illicit enrichment.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, who is a member of the committee, sought answers on investigations being conducted by the IC.

“Without giving numbers, do you have less than 12 or more than 12 investigations you are conducting?” he asked.

Continuing, Chuck queried, “ (Are) you still investigating several matters for which you will write reports in due course?”

“Absolutely,” Stephenson replied.

He said the commission was conducting ongoing investigations, including statutory declaration-related matters such as “failure to file, failure to provide information, and false statements”. He said these probes are easier to carry out as they are paper-based.

During deliberations on several reports from the IC that had been tabled in Parliament, Chuck read from the minutes of a previous meeting, indicating that Craig Beresford, the director of information and complaints, had intimated that the basis of the probe into the illicit six was a mismatch among purchases, expenditure, and income.

However, Beresford quickly sought to set the record straight, indicating that he had been misquoted. According to Beresford, he was defining illicit enrichment in general terms as a mismatch between asset and income. The director of information and complaints said he made no specific reference to the parliamentarians being investigated for illicit enrichment.

He explained that when the matter of illicit enrichment is being investigated, the declarant is required to give an explanation as to how he came by his assets.

Quizzed by minister

Marlene Malahoo Forte, minister of legal and constitutional affairs, who is also a member of the oversight committee, quizzed the IC directors. She asked how a declarant should deal with a situation where information is requested about his statutory declaration but the individual is facing challenges obtaining it from a third party.

Beresford told the committee that if the information resided with a third party, the IC would give the declarant sufficient time to obtain it.

Commenting on the issue of certifying the statutory declaration of public servants and parliamentarians, Beresford pointed out that when he was satisfied that all information “as best as possible” had been provided by a declarant then he would recommend to the commission that it issue a certification.

However, if the declarant cannot be certified, Beresford said a referral for investigation could be made.

Referencing Section 42(4) of the IC law, Beresford said that “where the director of information and complaints is of the opinion that an investigation in relation to a statutory declaration is necessary for the purposes of the act, he shall refer the matter to the commission for further and necessary action.

“It’s really two outcomes: you either get the certification, or if we believe it is something that we feel we need to probe a bit further, the recommendation is made,” he added.

Some members of the committee wanted to know why the commission might certify a declarant’s statutory declaration in a given year and in subsequent years raise concerns about the same information that had been provided previously.

Beresford said an individual’s statutory declaration may have been certified previously but the commission got information later that the declarant has assets, for example, in another jurisdiction, that was not presented as part of his declaration.

Tongues have been wagging and expectations mounting ever since the IC released its annual report last year, in which it indicated that six members of parliament and 28 public officials were under investigation for illicit enrichment.

With the one-year anniversary approaching in June since the unveiling of the significant development by the anti-corruption body, all eyes are on the IC to see whether the corruption watchdog will table reports next month on the so-called illicit six.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com