Integrity Commission Sworn In as Questions Persist Over Transparency and Accountability

A new Integrity Commission was officially sworn into office today during a ceremony held at Belize House in Belmopan. The appointments were administered by the Office of the Governor-General and saw the reappointment of attorney Andrea McSweaney-McKoy as Chairperson, alongside members Payal Ghanwani, Zoe Roberson Zetina, Ricardo Moguel, George Swift, Adrian Madrid, and Jarrad Ysaguirre.  The swearing-in comes at a time when questions continue to be raised about the commission’s visibility and public accountability. Over the past several months, members of the media and the wider public have repeatedly called on the Integrity Commission to provide updates on its work, including reports on investigations undertaken, compliance monitoring, and the extent to which it has fulfilled its mandate under the Integrity in Public Life framework.  Those requests for information have largely gone unanswered, leaving many observers with limited insight into the commission’s achievements, challenges, or overall effectiveness during its previous term.  Ironically, following the ceremony, Chairperson Andrea McSweaney-McKoy remarked that the commission has been actively carrying out its responsibilities and described the past year as a significant journey for the body.  She, however, gave no details on what was achieved. 

Andrea McSweaney McKoy, Chairlady: “The integrity commission is charged with ensuring that there is not corruption in public life. Persons in public life would include members of the House of Representatives, the upper and lower houses and it’s a very practical way of getting it done in which we take their financial declaration at the beginning when they are first appointed to public life and then every year throughout that time. So an effort is made to gauge what are they earning, what are they acquiring, and so on and then make inferences and analysis to see whether there may be corruption. The goal that we’ve made for the organization is to create a culture of compliance where one, members of public life actually comply with the law and file their declarations. And secondly, knowing that there is some measure accountability that they make decisions that are actually in line with the laws in terms of how they acquire property and how they handle the great trust that they have on them. So it’s really great. We can easily have a culture that let’s go of rules, that let’s go of procedures and systems if everybody wants to do what they want to do, but that’s really anarchy. And so we see our role as very significant. And I’m really grateful for the commission that we’ve had because it’s been a journey to become familiar with the processes, catch up with backlogs. But we have a very dedicated team who work very hard.”

The Integrity Commission is tasked to play a critical role in promoting transparency and accountability in public life.  Part of its job is to review financial declarations from public officials and examine matters that fall within its jurisdiction.  Despite the ongoing calls for greater disclosure, the commission has not publicly released comprehensive reports outlining its activities or accomplishments.