(Trinidad Express) National Security Minister Jack Warner has not made a declaration about his assets in the Teachers’ Credit Union to the Integrity Commission within recent years.
According to a document obtained by the Sunday Express, Warner has shares in his name which were valued at TT$611,126.23 as at January 1, 2011.
The document, which appears to be a computer generated “member statement”, gives the account number, states that Warner—a former teacher—joined the credit union in 1983, some 29 years ago, suggesting that the funds have accumulated over a considerable period of time.
The document also gives Warner’s birth date and address.
However, an examination of the Register of Interests, specifically with respect to Warner’s last three declarations to the Integrity Commission, did not reflect this asset.
According to his 2009, 2010 and 2011 declarations of assets, income and liabilities, Warner revealed that he received income from a government pension; distributions from Unit Trust Corporation, a salary as an MP and bank interest from Scotiabank, First Citizens’ and Republic Bank.
The 2009 declaration was received by the Commission on May 28, 2010; the 2010 declaration on November 28, 2011 and the 2011 declaration on September 19, 2012.
The declarations listed Warner’s directorships, the properties he owned (with his wife) and his investments.
The shares in the Teachers’ Credit Union are not listed as investments either.
The list of investments includes Joe Public, Eastern Agricultural Resorts Ltd, H &Z Ltd, Jamad Maintenance Service Ltd, Reenalen Ltd, JAW Ltd, Renraw Ltd, Sportal, JAW, Holdings Ltd, (additionally for 2011) J & D International and CCAM Ltd.
Attempts to contact Warner were unsuccessful yesterday.
However, he had been previously briefed—two weeks ago—and declined comment on the issue.
Speaking at that time through his adviser Francis Joseph, the Minister, who had been the subject of a FIFA investigation and who is currently the subject of a complaint filed by Fixin’ TnT’s Kirk Waithe with the Integrity Commission, had only this retort: “Steups. You can do what you want.”
Two weeks ago Warner told the Sunday Express he had been contacted by the Commission because it had said that his Form A was incomplete and there were other issues with his Form B.
Form A is the confidential document which instructs a public officer to declare his income, assets and liabilities. It calls for complete details of the income of the public officer, his spouse (and dependent children) and requests specifically all income from jobs, dividends, properties and from other sources.
Form B also relates to sources of funds, directorships and investments. Under the Integrity in Public Life Act, public officials are required to make a full and complete declaration about this assets, income and liabilities.
However, the law makes allowances for human error and a person would only be charged if the person cannot reasonably explain why there was no declaration of the particular funds, if the person cannot reasonably explain the source of the funds, and if all the evidence appears to suggests that a false/incomplete declaration was knowingly and deliberately made to the Commission by the public official.
Two previous government officials so charged were former prime minister Basdeo Panday and former energy minister Finbar Gangar.
