Speaker of the House of Assembly Alix Boyd-Knights, former United Workers party leader Earl Williams and Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Griffin Benjamin are among the 25 public officers expected to appear before a Roseau Magistrate to answer to charges under the Integrity in Public Office (IPO) Act this morning.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) charged 25 persons, ranging from parliamentarians, heads of official government departments, managers of statutory corporations, boards and commissions in early August under the IPO Act for not declaring their assets to the IPO Commission for the period 2009-2010.
According to an earlier report, DPP Gene Pestaina said that out of a list of 44 names that had been published in the June 10 issue of the Official Gazette for non-declaration, 19 persons who had filed late were excused based on their reasons.
Boyd-Knights had expressed to media that she had in fact filed and would take legal action against the commission for including her name on the list. However, Gene Pestaina told BBC Caribbean that Boyd-Knights did not adhere to the existing rules in the papers that she filed.
“The information is that the Speaker filed what is called a statement of affairs, which did not amount to a declaration according to the act,” he explained.
Chief Cultural Officer Raymond Lawrence, Chief Fisheries Officer Andrew Magloire, Chairman of DBS Radio Board Aurelius Jolly, Deputy Speaker of the House Ronald Toulon, United Workers Party (UWP) political leader Ronald Green and its deputy leader Claudius Sanford, Eleanor Lambert, Director of ChildFund Caribbean Francis Joseph, Dr. Gerald Grell, Chairperson Planning and Development Division Juliette Shillingford-Tonge, Dr. Dorian Shillingford, Senior Physical Planner Kelvin Rolle, Brian Vernon Bynoe, Antoine Defoe, Chairman of the Independent Regulatory Commission Carl Duncan, Director of Telecoms Sylvester Cadette, former UWP Senators Marcel Nicholas and Nicholls Esprit, Anthony Leblanc, former Government Parliamentarian Urban Baron, Executive Director of National Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Sylvester Vital are accused of not filing their declarations by March 30, 2010.
New government senators Tammy Jean-Jacques and Bentley Royer are also charged for not filing their declarations by May 31.
The bobolist escaped this trip, but come next year he better start roll his rosary all now.
Please give our p-m a break.
Some people feels like they are above the law and will try to use their political strength to try and admonish the DPP..
Good job Mr Pestina
@bwa patat: u lying on d man,,,earl not in n.y
All Dominicans highly praising Raymond Lawrence for an excellent job over the years uplifting , keeping alive, promoting our indigenous culture. This year’s independence celebrations again was no exception where he was ushered with all kinds of praises. But is poor Raymond who will have to answer charges before the courts, summoned by the IPO and DPP. Of course, if he lapsed and did not declare his assets on time, so be it.
Meanwhile the Supremo PM, who allegedly has not declared all his assets to that same IPO cannot be touched. He has committed a serious offense, by failing to declare all his assets and the true value of one of his assets according to the statutes of the IPO. No investigation by the IPO as to the massive accumulation of wealth while in public Office. No investigation into the RUBBISH BIN BOBOL. All the facts are plain to see. All the facts have been revealed in the public domain as regards the VILLAS and ownership of them, the BIN and FERTILIZER BOBOLS, the land purchase controversy, ETC., ETC., ETC. He cannot refute those charges up till now, yet no investigation. No court action against the PM.
Even in another case, summons issued to the PM Skerritt by the courts, and attempts by the bailiff to serve the summon to him has been met with stiff resistance. Isn’t that unwillingness to accept a summon from the court a serious breach of the court’s order and the law? Well wasn’t it that same PM Skerritt who publicly indicated that NO CONSTITUTION, NO LAW COULD PREVENT HIM FROM…………… We Dominicans are witnessing really IN OUR FACE, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, that NO LAW, NO IPO, NO COURT will TOUCH the PM.
But Is Poor Raymond, champion of culture Dominicans claim, who has lived an honest life, a law-abiding, hard-working cultural icon, who will easily be found and dragged to the courts. But many of them continue to condone the arrogance and wrong doings of PM Skerritt and will not demand that the IPO and the other institutions, mandated to investigate the factual revelations of his controversial activities, look into those affairs of bad governance and quick enrichment. In fact, the opposite is happening. Many Dominicans are demonizing those who have taken time, sacrificed everything to inform and bring corrupt practices to light.
Is SKerritt Lord of this land, Dominica? Why pick on people like Raymond, while those who commit extremely worse acts do not meet the same fate and brought before the courts as well? Justice for one should be justice for all. All men and women it is said are created EQUAL before GOD. Is that really so? Give me a break. To all those hypocrites, come out now and support people like Raymond in his unfortunate predicament. I challenge Dominicans to so do. He needs your support more than ever.
@Martin de Porres: I was wondering the same thing. He must be working on a doctor’s note. LOL.
excuse me my prime minister is clean
this is just a game. the only time one of them could get in trouble would be if they angered the main players within their circle.
To all those mad Dominicans who speak wildly and incoherently, who maintain strong desires to continuously and consistently manufacture unproved assertions, who loves nothing else more than to build fantastic castles of nothing in the air, accept those sympathetic word on behalf of the truth.
Our Honourable Prime Minister and his Ministers of Cabinet are not among the non-declaration culprits. Chief among these culprits are Ron Green the Lazy UWP Leader, Earl Williams the Thiefing UWP Leader, Claudius Sanford the Cannot be UWP Leader but bad enough to be Deputy Leader…………., more UWP on the list than anything else!
The truth has set our PM free. RIP mad Dominican.
@mouth of the south: Question for you??? What have u got against the PM? If he had not filed then his name would have been there. I saw this at the back of a vehicle this morning — If you cannot say something good about someone, then shut up.
Food for thought.
To call the Prime Minister – Crime Minister seems you have a personal grudge against him? Probably we need to appoint you head of the IPO so you can bring charges. Please bring forward facts not repetition of what others have to say. Always repeating what is heard and cannot produce facts. The same judgement that you measure will be meted out to you. So please be careful.
I doh know wat flight Earl take becuz I see him playing domino in New York on Friday night – he didn’t look like someone heading anywhere anytime soon
@follower: Question for you??? What have u got against the PM? If he had not filed then his name would have been there. I saw this at the back of a vehicle this morning — If you cannot say something good about someone, then shut up. Food for thought.
well, the people on the IPO have to earn their money.
Why these people when the real one PM Skerrit does not appear? Is it because he is clean, asset matches his income or another cover-up?
That is a good start but it must be continued so the people of the country can know who serve them with integrity.
hhhhmmm wah bout the hon. Crime Minister,,,,,so is so they doing it,,,allu start from 2009-2010,,,,boy dem man is joke,,,,is doesn’t matter when that was formed u all suppose to go way way back,,,,,even question the ministers in mamo time if thats the case,,,,,,allu start from 2009-2010 to please some people,,,,,,but why don’t the I.P.O take up the villa issue,,,,the bin bobol since the accusations n ‘facts’ are so glaring
I wonder if Earl will report?
Heh Heh Heh!