Dominica’s Integrity Commission says it has continued to experience constraints in its capacity to undertake technical/forensic investigations.
In its third annual report for the year ended August 31 2011, the commission says it has sought training and technical assistance to enhance the skills available to its staff.
According to the Commission however, the long-term solution is to restructure the organization as it has already recommended in its submission to government.
The recommendations include reducing the membership of the Commission from seven to five.
It says that can be done by reducing the number of persons to be nominated by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition from two each to one each.
The watchdog body says in making that recommendation, it took into consideration the sizes of commissions in other Caribbean countries “where their sizes ranged from three to five”.
Other changes proposed include abolishing the post of Secretary and creating a new post of Register “to advise the Commission and manage its operations”.
The Commission is proposing that the post of Research Assistant be abolished and replaced with two new posts of Financial Analyst and Investigator.
It also wants the post of Executive Officer upgraded to Senior Executive Officer “ and assigned both secretarial and administrative functions”.
One of the investigations being carried out by the Integrity Commission is a complaint that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit had used his official influence as Chairman of Cabinet to secure concessions for a business concern in which he is alleged to hold ownership interest.
The complaint is the third part of a three point allegation brought to the attention of the Commission by radio personality Lennox Linton.
The two first parts of the complaint which also suggest that the prime minister had breached certain provisions of the integrity in office act were rejected by the commission.
the problem is to many watchdogs with not enough resources
What a deja-vu! I’ve heard so many excuses from DLP it’s a deja-vu.
IPO: Is Politics Only
Case close. Who provides the funds for the IPO Commission to undertake technical/forensic investigations? Who pays the staff? Therein lies the constraints. He or she, who is being investigated by the IPO Commission, would certainly not facilitate such investigation.
Dominicans are being forewarned early o’clock. Who is responsible for the constraints? Are we to conclude that without funds for forensic help, such cases like the invetigation in the AM of the PM is practicall going nowhere? Nothing new my people.
Note well also, without funds to the ‘Independent’ Electoral Commission, no Electoral Reform. No Voter ID Cards. No cleaning up of the Unclean, bloated Voters’ list. No Free and Fair Elections. Is so Dominica come? In Dominica, all power to the ‘untouchables’
The longest road has a bend and the longest rope has an end. One of those good days their sins will catch up with them. The worls of evil men MUST come to an end.
The IPO Commission continues to experience constraints in its capacity to undertake technical/forensic investigations. What!!!!! A forewarning to the Dominican Public. Remember the IPO Commission was established after people’s pressure and advocacy? info was gazetted since 2003? Strangely, the IPO Commission was operationalized 5 years later in 2008. Why?????? Much speculation filled the air.
The investigations of Skerritt would go nowhere because of those constraints mentioned. It is the Skerritt-led DLP Govt. which has to provide the funds in all aspects, for forensic experts, staff payments and staff training et al. Therein lies the constraints.
Remember the Independent Electoral Commission recommended Electoral reforms. They requested of Govt. about 7 years ago funds to provide Voter ID cards and to clean up the bloated Voters’ list. Up to now Nothing. No funds to that Electoral Commission. All kinds of turns and twists. Excuse after excuse. No funds so that our future elections could be Free and Fair with proper Voter ID cards and a clean voters’ list. Total disrespect for the “Independent” Electoral Commission mandated by our Constitution to conduct elections. We all know of the influence taking place by political operatives. It is no secret. Dominicans expect continuing constraints which would result in lack of capacity to properly investigate and prosecute. Case close.
please disclose the constrains in a logic an concise manner.who are the ones applying them, when and their reasons.Unquestionably a restraint is neccessary in the political structer inorder to evolve an effective, efficient and responsive commission.While you cleary define the process of downsizing the I.P.O.,The nature of the constrains must be made open to avoid speculation and premature comments.
DNO please conduct a poll. Should the IPO be disbanded. Makes no sense for the parliament to discuss and make changes. waste of time DISBAND THE IPO
*yawn*…surprise,surprise!..*yawn*
IPO -Im-Possible Oops!zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The Government wants the IPO Commission to fail. It’s ignoring its recommendations for strengthening the Commission. The Govt knows the Commission as currently structured has no teeth. It wants it that way so that no proper investigations into Govt ministers will be carried out.
Remember the SC – investigation in the allegations of corruption during the tenure of the UWP – the conclusion was Yes they were corrupt but to prove it there was the need for forensic evidence -but due to cost it could not be persued it was just to expensive but they were corrupt all the same!!; so based on the precedence set by SC lets just agree that the big man is in fact corrupt but due to the cost of forensics we can’t go through with it- so the IPO can save setting us up for the inevitable. Lennox watch out they may just ask you to provide the forensic evidence.
This da- IPO is a big farce…Disband it and have the employees at least repay to the state a percentage of the money they got for nothing.
Why are these men/women just sitting on thier butt and doing nothing and yet still getting paid.
This country is Upside Down in truth.
The longest has a bend and the longest rope has a end.
IPO? Another waste of tax payers money. IPO should be replaced with a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) lead by Duke Savarin, Simon Darroux or Philsbert Alfred under the office of the president. Essentially the officers would be trained officers (police) with special skills and independent of the regular police. I am sure those crooked people in public office would have gotten the message.
WHY WOULD I GIVE YOU THE ARMS AND AMMUNITIONS TO DESTROY ME WHEN I KNOW I AM DISHONEST.
it must be dead bodies or missing persons you are investigating for you to be talking about forensic and technical capabilities.When corruption have infiltrated every aspect of society,it becomes very hard to have an honest and complete investigation because Dominicans morality have been sold off for a bowl of soup.It is even scarry to talk around people now cause you donot know who they are associated with and who payin g their bills.
well it the IPO is not working close it because what the use of it any way
Lennox brought up this case who cares?
So basically this IPO thing has not been working – simply men and women eating tax payers money for nothing. But then again what else is new. We have a bunch of advisers raking in $100000/month . Lawyers getting paid for work done by government employees; We hearing of Diplomats who are advisors to the man in the post of PM; We have ambassador to Lybia, Chile etc ; there is a Diaspora coordinator doing what I don’t know; There is a productivity consultant doing only god knows ; An attorney general who so far has not given us value for money; the list goes on . Hey why not an IPO pretending to be the watch dog of the people whereas they are just getting paid for nothing .Drill baby Drill – the tax payers of Dominica are like the oil fields of the middle east.
Only now you know who is getting paid for nothing?
What about those who boycotted Parliament for two years and were paid for doing nothing for the people who elected them.
Are you for real laborat.Donkey have no right in horse race!!!!!!
SMH so why come and tell us now what we already knew all along…….. the real question is
WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE TO EQUIP THE I.P.O TO THOROUGHLY PERFORM ITS MANDATE.
nevermind, we already know the answer to that too.
NOTHING! nathan , nada!
@-Met Yo,
All de barrels of oil you used to sell on de side in Shell, is de young-PM you
want to give hard-time? De IPO will do it’s job. I hope Matt will not get heart-tak-tak-tak-tak, when de IPO gives it’s last word.
Barrel of oil?
Shell?
What happen, you trying to identify me?
Well you way off track thus far we.
Them labourites there not easy nuh…lol
The IPO should remain as is ; it is working!!!
it should remain as is wat… u fraid u would not head d department anymore…stay out of the comments…fake, hyprocrite, phony, jah barry
Who let you out of your cage???
But I thought that the IPO was there to decide on what to investigate or not. Once a decision is taken then they would outsource the actual investigation to the relevant competent individuals according to the nature of the matter being investigated.
I didn’t know that lawyers, engineers etc on the IPO were going to investigate by themselves matters which are of a forensic auditing nature.
LOLO sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo true…. smart they smart like that…
You are absolutely right in your thinking. However the problems are cost and oversight. Who is going to pay the actual forensic auditors? The IPO budget is definitely not adequate under the present economic structure and it could be cost prohibitive even with a reduction in size. Therefore the IPO is saddled with undertaking the investigative work themselves. The transparency factor seems to be addressed, at least politically, with the party in power and the opposition each appointing a member.
It is evident that the IPO has its own support “investigative” staff. This facilitates oversight by the 5 member commission. Dominica is too small a population to hand over investigative duties to a seemingly independent forensic agency.
.
Should anyone have more information please add or correct me for the benefit of the readers.
But it can not be a question of costs because the IPO is asking for, among other things, to have two new posts of Finaicial Analyst and Investigator, to upgrade this post, abolish this one and create that one.
So these people will have permanent, highly paid jobs drawing a salary even when there is nothing to investigate.
The IPO, in my view, should be staffed with one Executive Secretary and no more staff.
They would then seek tenders for consultants in the field of work that the members of the IPO lack: Police investigators, Forensic scientists, Financial Experts, Forensic auditors etc. These consultants would be selected on a competitive basis and given “when employed’ contracts.
They would then be engaged with specific TORs, timelines and fees on matters that the IPO Committee has decided to investigate.
This I believe would be more cost effective than hiring expensive permanent staff for the IPO.
You see they start to prepare allu for the outcome already?
They have constraints…
So the result…Skerro walks free…just like the dual case….they hide the passport from the court…then say no passport…skerro walks free…
now they have constraints…..so that skerro will walk free…
Walk Free skerro….just walk free
Dominica – A failed state.
Lol! SMH!!!
then they wonder, is it really a coincidence that the current rise in crime coincides with the stale atmosphere of political affairs in Dominica???
way way way way poor us young people in dis country we hav to make dah best out off it for us and our family…