Bermuda Premier Craig Cannonier has told parliament that the recruitment process for an information commissioner to oversee the 2010 freedom of information law will start this spring.
He said further legislation on public access to information — to set fees, establish the organization and deal with maintenance of public records — would be introduced in the summer session of Parliament, according to an article in the Royale Gazette. Cannonier was speaking as he opened the debate on the budget allocation for Cabinet Office — his personal office.
But he added that, although the UK Bribery Act “was considered one of the most stringent measures in the world”, Bermuda had comparable legislation already on its books, with the exceptions of legislation designed to outlaw bribery of overseas officials and specific laws to deal with the failure of commercial entities to prevent bribery.
Bermuda adopted a law in 2012. (See FreedomInfo.org report.)
At the time, then Premier Ewart Brown said an information commissioner would be appointed by the end of December and that the new law will be implemented within two to three years.
Passage in Parliament July 23 culminated a multi-year effort that began in earnest around 2004.
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