Keisha Prince-Kameka, the Director of Corruption Prosecution for the Integrity Commission, has decided that House Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert should be prosecuted for making a false claim in a Statutory Declaration about a Mercedes Benz motor vehicle.
The accusations related to her statements were made between 2015 and 2020.
According to the Integrity Commission, Dalrymple Philibert’s Assertions were false and lacking information since she failed to include the vehicle.
A recent report that was presented to the House of Representatives contains the results of an investigation.
According to the Director of Investigation for the Commission, Dalrymple-Philibert sought a 20% duty exemption while serving as a member of parliament in order to buy a car that she would use for her official responsibilities.
The car was acquired using the concession she was entitled to, according to the Director of Investigation, therefore, it was considered one of her assets and should have been declared in her statutory declarations.
The Director of the investigation raised concerns about the 20 percent duty concession granted to Dalrymple-Philibert, questioning if it aligned with facility terms and if the Customs Act was breached.
Lincoln Eatmon claimed he supplied the funds to buy the car through a loan and a cash deposit. He also took note of Dalrymple-Philibert’s claims that she did not really own or operate the car, even though it was purchased in her name and with the help of a 20% duty exemption she had secured.
The duty concession given to Dalrymple-Philibert as well as the other terms and conditions were allegedly violated, according to the Director of Investigation, who determined that there was sufficient evidence to support this conclusion.
The Director of Investigation noted that it was odd, “that the Accounting and/or Accountable Officers at the Houses of Parliament did not discover that claims for Motor Vehicle Allowances by Mrs. Dalrymple-Philibert were being made in breach of the relevant legislation and Circular.”
Dalrymple-Philibert requested a duty concession through Parliament and notified them of the attached terms and conditions. The Director of Investigation came to the unfavorable conclusion that motor vehicle allowances granted despite the discovered violations were improper, and he blamed the responsible personnel at the Houses of Parliament for their carelessness.
He suggested that the Financial Secretary be given the report so that she might take the proper steps to recoup the allowances that had been given to Dalrymple-Philibert.
The Director of Corruption Prosecution was also tasked with reviewing the Director of Investigation’s report, which she recently did and laid before the House of Representatives.
She declared in her judgment, “Upon careful consideration, it was determined that Mrs. Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert should be charged for four (4) counts of breach of section 15(1)(b) of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, 1973 for Making a False Statement in a Statutory Declaration for the periods ending December 31, 2015, February 25, 2016, December 31, 2016, and December 31, 2017.
It was also determined that Mrs. Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert should be charged for four (4) counts of breach of section 43(2)(a) of the Integrity Commission Act, 2017 for Making a False Statement in a Statutory Declaration for the periods ending December 31, 2018, December 31, 2019, September 3, 2020, and December 31, 2020.”
