The Cabinet Ministers met under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, The Honourable Dr Terrance Drew, on Monday, January 30th, 2023, and made several significant decisions to improve the well-being of our people.
Following a 2-month window where the general public, including non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, were able to scrutinize and provide feedback on drafts Bills, Cabinet approved the following pieces of legislation, namely:
The Integrity in Public Life (Amendment) Act, which gives the Integrity Commission the necessary legislative support and creates the Office of the Special Prosecutor to receive complaints, investigate, and prosecute acts of corruption throughout the Public Service and within Statutory Corporations;
The Anti-Corruption Act, which creates criminal offences of corruption, seeks to protect whistleblowers and gives the Special Prosecutor powers to not only prosecute offenders but to seek recovery of proceeds of corrupt activities; and
The Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act, which promotes the disclosure of information in the public interest and provides an effective mechanism by which members of the public, particularly the press, can gain access to Government information.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved the Official Gazette Act which will create certainty as to when laws and statutory instruments are published and to provide for the digitization and publication of the Official Gazette of Saint Christopher and Nevis and the Criminal Records (Amendment) Act which seeks to expand the offences by which convicted persons’ criminal records can be expunged.
These approvals represent the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration’s seriousness and commitment to the implementation of good governance structures. Members of the public can expect to see these Bills tabled and debated during the upcoming National Assembly Sittings on February 8th and 22nd this year.
