Parliament’s Privileges Committee has found that United National Congress (UNC) Senator Wade Mark did not grossly and recklessly abuse the privilege of freedom of speech accorded to MPs when he made inaccurate and adverse statements about National Insurance Board (NIB) chairman Patrick Ferreira.
The report said “it could not be established that Mr Mark intended to mislead the Senate when he made incorrect statements about Ferreira”. The matter had been referred to the Committee on March 8, 2022.
The Committee’s report, tabled last week Tuesday in the Senate, recommended that the House impose no sanction on Mark but that Mark, consistent with good parliamentary practice, should correct the inaccuracies in his statement made to the Senate on February 15 at his next appearance in the Senate and/or before the end of the Second Session of the 12th Parliament.
Parliament has to be prorogued by September 9.
However, the Committee acknowledged that as a long-standing parliamentarian Mark could have conducted the necessary due diligence before rendering his statements to the Senate.
Mark raised several issues surrounding the chief executive of CIC Insurance Brokers, Patrick Ferreira.
Statements the Committe found to be untrue.
COMMENTS