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PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has submitted to the Advisory Council his declarations and notifications of assets, holdings, secondary positions and interests, those of the other five new ministers and of ministers who served in the Wescot-Williams III Cabinet.
The submission is in accordance with the National Ordinance Promotion of the Integrity of Ministers.
The declarations were submitted on Friday, three days before the stipulated 30-day deadline for submission by new ministers and persons who have ceased to be ministers.
The submission to the Advisory Council followed a similar submission to the Electoral Council that was tied to the National Ordinance Registration and Finances of Political Parties. With these two submissions, the Gumbs Cabinet "continues to demonstrate that it is serious about complying with the law" and addressing integrity lapses identified in the Wit-Sampson integrity report, a Government press release stated on Sunday.
The law on Promotion of the Integrity of Ministers aims to promote the integrity of holders of political authority by preventing ministers from holding undesirable secondary positions and commercial interests, and by laying down additional rules to prevent unjustified enrichment.
For the declaration, each minister had to report to the prime minister all secondary positions and commercial interests, as well as those of his or her spouse and children. By signing the declaration, the minister guarantees the reliability of the information given to the prime minister.
The Advisory Council and General Audit Chamber will assess the declarations to ascertain whether any position or commercial interest is undesirable for a minister to be involved with. Any breach will be reported to the prime minister and communicated to the relevant minister for the situation to be remedied.
