Integrity commission to investigate Asot

0
976
- Advertisement -

There are grounds to open an investigation into Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Asot Michael, according to the Integrity Commission.
In a press statement signed by the commission’s Chairman, Radford Hill, it is said the investigation would fall under the Integrity in Public Life Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act, both enacted in 2004.
In May, Michael resigned from the Gaston Browne-led Cabinet, after allegations that, while he was the minister of energy in 2016, he demanded money, a car, and campaign finance from scandal hit British investor Peter Virdee.
The commission’s announcement, however, may have been made in vain because Hill admitted that the body does not have the staff or the resources to mount the investigation into the MP.
The Integrity Commission chairman, in the release, said that the commission has only one staff member who serves as the secretary to both the body and the Information Commissioner’s offices.
However, he said that the commission intends to investigate the matter and make a formal request to the government for additional resources.
Additionally, the body would be asking the commissioner of police to make an investigator available, if necessary.
Hill said that while the commission’s interaction with the public has been limited so far, in short order the commissioners plan to launch a public awareness campaign on the body’s existence, it’s role and mandate.
The commission is also encouraging people to comply with the Integrity in Public Life Act and promises to aggressively enforce compliance in filing declarations and other matters within the confines of their limited resources.

- Advertisement -