Some members of Parliament who sat in the House of Assembly during the last term and failed to file financial disclosures as required by law, were still calling yesterday advising that they intended to make their filings, according to Public Disclosure Commission Chairman Myles Laroda.
Yesterday was the deadline Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis had imposed on such individuals.
He said through his Press Secretary Anthony Newbold that if they failed to file by June 30 he would turn their names over to the attorney general for appropriate action.
"You know how Bahamians go," Laroda said.
"They will wait for the last minute.
"There is a lot of outstanding people who would have come and collected their documents and stuff, but they just haven't been in [to turn them in] as yet."
Laroda could not give a definitive number regarding those members who have not yet disclosed.
However, Newbold said three weeks ago that more than 20 MPs, former and present, did not disclose.
He said six of them hadn't filed at all since 2012.
The Public Disclosure Act mandates members of Parliament, senators, senior public officers and public appointees to declare their assets, income and liabilities as of December 31 of each year.
The act 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 would be forfeited to the government or the value of the property, if situated outside of The Bahamas, would be paid by the offender.
Laroda also noted that his appointment to the commission expired yesterday and he was unsure whether he would be reappointed.
"Our term officially ends [Friday] so there were some loose ends we were tying up," he said.
"We have no word on our status or whether we are going to be reappointed or not, and usually when you are in an institution you wait until you get official word.
"We had to tie up a lot of stuff that we were working on.
"So whoever is appointed, it will be up to them to give the prime minister an update."

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