PANAJI
The Lokayukta has issued a fresh list of current ministers and MLAs who have failed to submit their statement of assets and liabilities to the office of the ombudsman.
Among the list includes Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar, Minister of Art and Culture Govind Gaude and Minister of Housing Jayesh Salgaocar.
A bulk of the MLAs who have failed to submit their statement of assets and liabilities includes Nilkanth Halarnkar, Antonio (Tony) Fernandes, Francisco Silveira, Wilfred D'Sa, Clafasio Dias of the Congress and Pravin Zantye of the BJP.
Others include Churchill Alemão of the NCP and independent Prasad Gaonkar.
All public functionaries are required to file their respective statement of assets and liabilities for the previous year before June 30 as defined in section 2(q) of the Goa Lokayukta Act, 2011 in the prescribed format in Form III, provided under rule 13 of the Goa Lokayukta Rule, 2012.
The public functionary would need to declare the assets and liabilities held by him/her or by any other person on his/her behalf and those members of his/her family in terms of the provisions of subsection (1) of section 21 of the Goa Lokayukta Act, 2011 to the Institution of Goa Lokayukta, and should continue to file their statements of assets and liabilities in the years to come.
Non-compliance with the above requirement shall attribute the consequences provided in sub-section (2) of section 21 of the Goa Lokayukta Act 2011.
On non-compliance of the above requirements, the Lokayukta is empowered to publish the names of such public functionaries in two newspaper having wide circulation in the State with a report to the Governor, as mandated under sub-section (2) of Section 21 of Goa Lokayukta Act, 2011.
However, despite publishing a press note to this effect in two local daily newspapers by Institution of Goa Lokayukta some of the public functionaries had not submitted their statements within the stipulated time leading to their names being made public.
