Councillor Lambert Weir cited for breaching the Corruption Prevention, Integrity Commission and the Customs Acts

St. Ann Parish Councillor, Lambert Weir is to be slapped with corruption charges following a ruling by the Integrity Commission.

The Integrity Commission has ruled that Weir of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) be charged with breaches of the Corruption Prevent Act, Integrity Commission Act and the Customs Act, which it details in its report to parliament, which was tabled at Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives.

The ruling was made by the Commission’s Director of Corruption Prosecution, Keisha Prince-Kameka following a review of a report on an investigation carried out by the Commission’s Director of Investigation, Kevon Stephenson. 

In a letter accompanying the report, the Commission states, “the Director of Corruption Prevention reviewed the report and after careful consideration has ruled that Weir be charged with breaches of the Corruption Prevent Act, Integrity Commission Act and the Customs Act for knowingly making a false statement in a statutory declaration.”

Details of the allegations

The probe by  Stephenson into allegations that Weir, Councillor for the Claremont Division in the St. Ann Municipal Corporation made false statements in his statutory declaration filed with the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption and the Integrity Commission for the periods ending December 31, 2017, December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019. 

According to the commission’s report, “the investigation found that Weir was required to file Statutory Declarations with the Commission at the material times and failed to include in them a certain asset he held. The preceding omissions constitute an offence under Section 45 (2) (a) of the Integrity Commission Act and Section 15 (2) (b) of the Corruption Prevention Act.”

He was also cited for breaching the Customs Act regarding the 20% duty concession granted to him. The investigation commenced based on a referral by the Integrity Commission’s Director of Information and Complaints. The complaint alleges that Weir was in breach of the Corruption Prevent Act and the Integrity Commission Act by virtue of his failure to disclose a Toyota Prado motor vehicle, which he was the legal owner of in his Statutory Declaration filed with the Commission.

“Having reviewed the matter, the Director of Investigation expanded the scope of the investigation to include the circumstances surrounding the use of a 20% duty concession granted to Weir by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to acquire the referenced vehicle to be used by him in connection with his public duties,” the report stated.

In commenting on the matter, Weir declared that he is no cheat pleading ignorance of the law.