BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FOLLOWING a late night disclosure that charges were filed against nine individuals for failing to file their declarations under the Integrity in Public Life Act, Cap 22.18, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Integrity Commission have made an official apology to one of them whose name was inadvertently published among the defaulters.
The individual to whom the apology was issued is Ms. Oureika Petty who, according to the DPP’s Office, “was incorrectly identified as holding the position of Deputy Chairperson of NEMA. We have since been informed that Ms. Petty actually serves as the Deputy National Disaster Coordinator, a position not subject to the filing requirements under the Act”.
“On behalf of the Integrity Commission and the Director of Public Prosecutions' Office, I extend our sincere and unreserved apologies to Ms. Petty for any embarrassment or inconvenience this error may have caused. We are committed to ensuring such inaccuracies do not happen in the future,” a press statement read.
Now, the DPP is working with the Attorney-General’s Office to prevent a repeat which is being blamed on administrative issues.
“In light of this, I am currently in discussions with the Honourable Attorney General to put in place the necessary mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of this issue. As indicated in the previous press release, there was a need to resolve administrative particulars, especially given the lengthy list. Our office had undertaken multiple efforts to verify the initial list of names, including the relevant Government department which is in possession of the relevant information, and any errors discovered had been rectified promptly. Regrettably, notwithstanding such efforts, the error in relation to Ms. Petty was not discovered,” the statement explained.
The apology comes against the backdrop of the DPP and the Integrity Commission urging public officials to file their declarations after missing several deadlines, which prompted the DPP to set a final deadline of January 26 with the roll out of the charges on February 1.
