By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NEARLY a month after the March 1 deadline passed, there is still no new timeline for public officials to file their mandatory financial disclosures — and the Public Disclosures Commission has yet to say how many officials have complied.

Bishop Victor Cooper, chairman of the commission, told The Tribune yesterday that while officials have continued submitting disclosures, he could not provide an exact number. He noted that some public officers have requested extensions.

Last month, he blamed delays on inaccessibility of the commission’s office and facility issues, including mould, which he said had affected processing. He confirmed yesterday that the commission is now temporarily operating from the Cabinet Office.

Under the law, senators, members of parliament, and senior public officials are required to declare their assets, income, and liabilities each year. Non-compliance can carry penalties of up to $10,000 or a two-year prison sentence. Despite this, officials have not publicly named those who missed this year’s deadline.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard criticised the commission’s handling of the disclosures yesterday, saying the chairman is duty-bound to explain the basis for what he called “ongoing non-compliance”.

He questioned why such lengthy extensions are being granted and whether they are being given to the same individuals repeatedly. Mr Pintard also suggested the government may have philosophical objections to the law itself, citing informal reports to that effect.

Last year, Bishop Cooper revealed that 90 percent of parliamentarians met the March 1 disclosure deadline, though several senators and senior public officials had not. Officials have never disclosed who failed to comply.