THE highly anticipated 2023/24 annual report of the Integrity Commission (IC) has been submitted to Parliament and could be made public by the next sitting of the House of Representatives.

In a release on Wednesday, the IC said it submitted the report which was formally received and signed for at the Parliament at 2:39 pm.

Section 36(2) of the Integrity Commission Act requires the Commission to submit its annual reports to Parliament “not later than three months after the end of each financial year.

“This means that the commission’s annual reports must be submitted by the end of June each year. Section 20(1) of the Act further mandates that the commission’s audited financial statements must be included in its annual reports,” the IC said in its release.

“The commission has maintained its enviable record of preparing its annual reports and submitting them to Parliament in only three months, as well as to have the commission’s financial affairs audited within the same time frame,” the release added.

According to the IC, hard copies of its annual report were submitted in separate envelopes, under cover of identical letters, addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives Juliet Holness; President of the Senate Tom Tavares-Finson; and Colleen Lowe, Clerk to the Houses of Parliament

“The commission anticipates that its annual report will be tabled in the Parliament as soon as possible. Once the report is tabled, it will be published on the commission’s website,” the IC said.

In its last annual report (2022/23) the IC dropped a bombshell when it reported that it was investigating six parliamentarians for illicit enrichment.

The six are yet to be named or charged despite the IC reporting one year ago that they allegedly breached Sections 14 (5) (a) of the Corruption Prevention Act.

Illicit enrichment happens where a public servant owns assets disproportionate to his lawful earnings; and upon being requested by the IC, or any person duly authorised to investigate an allegation of corruption against him, to provide an explanation as to how he came by such assets, he fails to do so; or gives an explanation which is not considered to be satisfactory.