Who will check integrity of Integrity Commissioners?

Territorial At-large Representative and Junior Minister for Trade, Shereen Flax-Charles, has questioned whether the necessary safeguards may be in place for the Integrity Commission.

Speaking during a recent sitting of the House of Assembly, the first-term legislator said even though she was in support of the bill, she questioned who will be responsible for policing the Commission.

She reasoned that even though persons such as judges and clergymen might be deemed as persons with integrity, it is often reported in the news that “priests are being arrested left right and centre, [while] judges as well are being taken off of the bench”.

According to Flax-Charles, whoever is chosen for the Commission should go through the same type of scrutiny that will likely be placed on public officers, district representatives, or politicians.

“How do we ensure that [the Commissioners] are not corrupt or even more corrupt?” Flax-Charles asked.