How to look up an official's declaration
Where declarations are public, they are usually found on the website of the agency that collects them, or obtained by a written request. Rules on who can see what differ widely, and many systems publish only part of a declaration.
- StAR notes that public access generates some controversy and resistance, because systems must balance officials' privacy with the public's right to know, and that public access is not a substitute for verification by the agency.1
- Some systems publish online. Ukraine's NACP register can be searched by name, year and position, although some documents are withheld during martial law. France's HATVP publishes declarations of ministers, parliamentarians and local elected officials with addresses and spouse names removed.2,3
- Other systems work on request. In the United States, reports of the President, Vice President and the most senior officials are posted online by the Office of Government Ethics, while other public reports are requested with OGE Form 201.4
- Request-based systems often require the requester to identify themselves and restrict use. Argentina's Ley 25.188 requires a written request stating identity and purpose, and bars use for illegal or commercial purposes other than by the media.5
Sources
- Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (World Bank and UNODC), Public Office, Private Interests: Accountability through Income and Asset Disclosure (28 March 2012)
- National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Unified State Register of Declarations, public part
- Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique, La déclaration d'intérêts
- U.S. Office of Government Ethics, FAQs, Public Financial Disclosure
- Gobierno de la República Argentina, Normativa, Ley 25.188, Ética en el ejercicio de la función pública, texto actualizado (1 November 1999)