| By Gary Eleazar Members of Parliament and other senior officials who are required by law to declare their assets to the Integrity Commission now have two weeks to do so or face the court. This is according to President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press briefing yesterday at State House.President Bharrat JagdeoThe President was responding to a recent call by the People’s National Congress to have the forensic audit of Customs officers extended to senior Government officials.He pointed out that such a call was unnecessary, given that there was an Integrity Commission in place for the same reason.President Jagdeo said that, for some time now, he had urged the commission to publish the names of the defaulters, but yesterday he issued the ultimatum to Parliamentarians and members of the Commission.“On Wednesday (tomorrow), I am meeting with them (Integrity Commission), and I will say to them that within two weeks I expect a list of all the Members of Parliament, that their names be published in the newspaper.”He warned the MPs that they have two weeks to comply with the law, or steps will have to be taken to have the defaulters charged.He questioned why the PNCR was calling for the forensic audit to be extended when there was already a requirement in law, “and when many of his (PNC) MPs have not been complying with the law.”The President emphasised that the ultimatum was not limited to the Opposition, in that members of the Government side of the House who default will share the same fate.On Friday last, the PNCR issued a statement calling for the forensic audit to include senior Government officials and corrupt business people.According to the party, it has noted that the Auditor-General has confirmed that a forensic audit into the assets of employees of the Customs and Trade Administration (CTA) has been authorised, and most Guyanese would regard this as an important step in the exercise in rooting out corruption from that department.“However, the PNCR believes that this tool would be useful in tracking down the now endemic corruption in all areas of the society.”It added that the Auditor-General and the Jagdeo Administration should call upon those persons and entities, including those who have acquired assets which bear no relationship to their incomes and earnings, to submit to similar forensic audits.President Bharrat Jagdeo has called for investigations into the assets of corrupt Customs officers.“It is one thing to look at the current (Customs officers probe) incident, but when you look at assets and how the assets accumulate,” then that is a whole other issue.He said that if people were not able to properly account “for their assets,cheap nfl jerseys, then they have a lot to answer for”.The President was insistent that the assets analysis component of the investigation be fulfilled.He pointed to the fact that if the capability was not available locally, the audit office should seek external assistance and Government would foot the bill.Several Customs officers and other employees of the Guyana Revenue Authority were sent on administrative leave early last year. Five of the employees who were sent on leave were dismissed during the investigations ordered by President Bharrat Jagdeo.As it relates to the contraventions of the Public Audit Act of 2004,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, in that the report was supposed to have been turned over to the Speaker of the House and not the President, Jagdeo brushed the question aside,China Jerseys Free Shipping, saying that the report will be tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday, and it will be made public, which was the important thing.He pointed out, however, that the reason why the reported was handed to him before the Speaker was because it was an investigation ordered by the Executive.The Public Audit Act 2004 does emphasise in Section 28 that,Discount NFL Jerseys, the Auditor General shall,China Adidas Hockey Jerseys, in accordance with Article 223(3) of the Constitution, submit his reports to the Speaker of the National Assembly, who shall cause them to be laid before the Assembly.Jagdeo insisted that this section of the law spoke to the annual audit of expenditures of ministries,Wholesale Cheap Jerseys China, among others. |
