NATION NEWS: AG: Commission members under scrutiny too – Published 22 July 2023
The senior officers of Parliament’s Integrity Commission will also come under the Integrity in Public Life Bill, and be subject to declaring their assets, vetting and truth verification procedures once every two years.
This was revealed in the House of Assembly yesterday by Attorney General Dale Marshall.
“There will be a level of discomfort. They will be subjecting themselves to a level of scrutiny they have not been subjected to before. The scrutiny is on your spouse and your children in limited circumstances,” Marshall said. “Your data is not going to be made public to anyone. You need not fear an individual will find out what you own.”
He said the aim is to have a commission of which all Barbadians can be proud. It will consist of a chairman who would have held the position of a judge within the Commonwealth.
“That person will be appointed by the President after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. I suspect we will have an independent commission,” Marshall said.
He noted that in the bill, one individual will be appointed to the commission on the advice of the Prime Minister, and another on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.
“The commission will be independent because the Prime Minister gets a pick, and the Leader of the Opposition, when there is one, gets their pick as well.” (BA)