INTO POSSIBLE CORRUPTION OR OTHER SERIOUS DISHONESTY IN RECENT YEARS OF PAST AND PRESENT ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE

COMMISSION PRESS STATEMENT

6th November 2008

The Commission’s Solicitor, Jacqueline Duff, and its Secretary, Laurance O’Dea, have just spent a fortnight in the Turks & Caicos Islands talking to persons wishing to give information and/or evidence in the Inquiry and in attempting to identify and examine relevantpublic records and documents. 
The Commission is grateful to the many who provided them with information.  It is also grateful to many others who, in increasing numbers, have made, and are making, approaches to its Secretariat in London to give information and/or evidence.

With very few exceptions, there has been no response from Ministers, other elected Members of the House of Assembly, the former Cabinet Secretary, Government Permanent Secretaries or Under-Secretaries to the Commissioner’s written invitations to each of them to assist the Inquiry with information or submissions they consider might bear on his terms of reference.

On their visit to the Territory the Solicitor and the Secretary were unable to obtain access to and inspect many public records and documents that they sought, with the consent of the Governor, to inspect. Members of the Commission staff will, therefore, have to return shortly to resume that part of the task. 
Disclosure of Interests by Ministers and other Members of the House of Assembly continues, in general, to be inadequate, despite repeated efforts by the Commission in writing to secure full and accurate disclosure.   In consequence, the Commissioner will shortly, by summons, require the Premier and other Ministers to attend before him in the Territory for examination under oath and to produce documents in respect of matters where their disclosure remains deficient.

For that purpose, and to give an opportunity to anyone to give evidence who appears to the Commission to be implicated or concerned in the subject-matter of the Inquiry, it will conduct oral hearings in the Territory throughout December 2008.  Such hearings may be held in public and/or in private, and evidence may be taken orally on oath or in writing, as the Commission considers appropriate.  The proceedings will be recorded.

The present want of full and accurate disclosure by Ministers and other Members of the House of Assembly, little access to public records and documents and lack of ready financial resources have obliged the Commission to defer instructing forensic accountants for the purpose of examining individual transactions relevant to its Terms of Reference.  It may be that the time and resources required for enlisting such aid would call for consideration after and in the light of the Commission’s Report when presented to the Governor.

The Commission renews its open invitation to anyone who believes that it has information that may assist the Inquiry to contact the Secretary at secretary@tci-inquiry.org, or by post, fax or telephone to First Floor, 26 Southampton Buildings, Holborn, London, WC2A 1PN, tel (0044) (0) 207 173 2400, fax (0044) (0) 207 173 2371.

Given the continuing and widely expressed fear of intimidation or victimisation expressed by many who have made submissions to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee and who have approached the Commission with a view to giving it information, it repeats that those who wish to provide information to it in confidence, should say so.  Neither the information nor its source, nor anything that might suggest its source, will be made public without their express consent. 

Laurance O’Dea

6th November 2008