By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

“UNEXPLAINED wealth” among public officials and their relatives is cause for concern, says Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard, who accused the country’s disclosure system of failing to hold anyone accountable as delays drag into yet another year.

Mr Pintard said he has grown increasingly concerned that the Public Disclosure Committee has still not produced a full compliance list for this year, despite the legal requirement for MPs, senators, and senior civil servants to file their declarations by March 1. The committee has cited accessibility issues and facility challenges as reasons for the holdup — claims critics dismiss as excuses.

Mr Pintard said he has written to the committee seeking a complete report but has only received information about senators, not parliamentarians. He called the alleged growth of unexplained personal enrichment a fundamental problem and pressed again for an independent body empowered to investigate how officials acquire their wealth.

He suggested individuals in office may be benefitting from contracts to enrich themselves or their party.

He said the issue reaches far beyond elected politicians. “We need to guard against that by looking at unexplained wealth by government officials, not just the politicians. It could be a permanent secretary, a deputy permanent secretary, somebody who sits on a procurement committee, etc. Those are issues we have to deal with. Other than that, the system is going to constantly be corrupted,” he said during an appearance yesterday on Guardian 96.5.

Asked what consequences currently exist for officials who fail to disclose, he noted there are effectively none. “Because right now we don't know. In my view, the PLP Members of Parliament, not all of them have disclosed,” he said.

Under the Public Disclosure Act, only the prime minister or the leader of the opposition can act on delinquent filings. Either can table the information in the House or Senate or send it to the attorney general or commissioner of police, exposing offenders to a $10,000 fine or up to two years in prison.

Governance advocates and the US Department of State have long criticised The Bahamas for failing to publish public disclosure records for more than a decade, urging reforms to restore transparency.

Mr Pintard said the pattern of weak enforcement continues and accused the government of showing little urgency on anti-corruption measures. “That's why I find it so laughable when they start accusing people of who's being truthful or untruthful,” he said.