Minister of State for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson yesterday warned parliamentarians to be accountable with their constituency allowance of $100,000 and said he and the attorney general are prepared to act against those who abuse public funds.
Johnson said the Constituency Grant Bill 2017 is intended to govern the use of the annual constituency allowance.
He said the government will ensure the accountable and transparent use of these funds.
"What we are saying is you are going to get the $100,000," Johnson said.
"For God's sake, don't send it back.
"There are so many innovative programs that we can get together and involve the community in.
"Develop programs for young people, old people, education, women, children and men so we can properly assist the community.
"But, one of the things you must be cognizant of is it requires strict accountability and it will be audited by the auditor general."
Johnson said parliamentarians will be held accountable if they "do nonsense with the people's money".
"I have a leader who has already started and he has said all parliamentarians must disclose, and I want to say publicly that the attorney general and the minister of state stand ready to do the people's business," Johnson said.
He said parliamentarians have a deep obligation to their constituents and they must deliver.
Last week, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis gave parliamentarians (past and present who served in the last term) three weeks to file or face their files being turned over to the attorney general with the instruction to "do what the law prescribes".
The Public Disclosure Act empowers both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition to "authorize the furnishing of any information furnished to him by the [Public Disclosure] Commission to the attorney general or the commissioner of police".
That information includes the commission's report on the MPs and other public officials who have failed to file their disclosures.
The Public Disclosure Act of 1976 provides for a $10,000 fine or imprisonment of a term not exceeding two years, or both, for anyone who violates it.
In the case where the offense involves the deliberate non-disclosure of property, in addition to a fine or term of imprisonment, or both, the property located inside The Bahamas will be forfeited to the government, or the value of the property, if situated outside The Bahamas, would be paid by the offender.
The most recent gazetted report is from December 2011, and it contains information on disclosures only up to 2008.

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