In addition to the information below, see our Legislation page to view the latest versions of the Standards in Public Life Act, Regulations and further guidance on their commencement.
A complete declaration submitted annually to the Register of Interests is required from all Persons in Public Life, in accordance with section 121 of the Cayman Islands Constitution Order, 2009 and section 11 of the Standards in Public Life Act. Declarations are submitted online through the dedicated Register of Interests portal. The portal utilises your eServices account, the log-in system which is a central sign on for multiple portals and featured in many other Cayman Islands Government e-services (e.g. Customs and DVDL). If you do not have an eServices account one can easily be created one by using the guidance on the home screen.
Once you log in to the portal via eServices, submissions can be filed by completing the following two steps:
- New Users will first complete Step A, the Declarant Registration process. This process allows you to securely register your personal details including uploading a copy of a current Government issued ID for identity verification. Existing Users are not required to complete this step.
- Step B is the completion of the Declaration Information. This process requires you to complete your statement of interests, income, assets and liabilities.
For optimal functionality of the online portal please use Chrome or Firefox as your browser.
To access the online portal click the button below:
Hard-copy PDF-fillable forms are available upon request for persons wishing to use a manual process. Please contact the Commissions Secretariat at 244-3685 or roi@standardsinpubliclifecommission.ky to make a request for a PDF form.
Instructions, Extension Requests and Reporting/Complaint Forms
SPL Declaration Instructions
Video Guides
CSPL ROI - New User Tutorial
CSPL ROI Existing User Declaration Template Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Online Portal
I forgot my password. How do I reset it?
To reset your password to access the Register of Interests online portal you must reset your eServices password. Instructions on how to do this are available on the eServices user guide.
How do I make a change to a declaration I have already submitted?
When you login to the portal, select the 'Amend an Existing Declaration' option box on the portal dashboard to add an update to a previously submitted declaration. Please note that your previous declaration will remain on file as originally submitted.
I filed a declaration last year. Is that declaration available on the portal?
At this time previously submitted PDFs of declarations are not available on the online portal. However, when you submit a declaration via the portal a record of it will be saved and can be accessed via the 'View My Declarations' options box on the portal dashboard.
I am an existing user, however when I login to the Register of Interest Portal I do not see my past declaration(s).
In 2022, the Register of Interests portal switched the login in access point to the eServices sign-on page. Users affected by the switch were asked to provide their eServices username to link their accounts to have access to their past declarations. If you did not provide your eServices username you will not be able to view past declarations. If you did provide an eServices username, and received a confirmation email that your accounts were linked and are being asked to complete the registration process or cannot view past declarations, there may be an error in the eServices username provided, please contact the Commission at 244-3685 or email roi@standardsinpubliclifecommission.ky for further assistance.
Can I use a previous declaration as a template?
Yes, existing users who have subnitted a declaration via the portal, can use a previously submitted declaration as a template. Select 'Submit a New Declaration' option box on the portal dashboard, then select 'As a Copy of a Previously Submitted declaration' option box, select the preferred declaration and the field will be prepopulated for review and editing as needed.
I have signed into my eServices account however I am not seeing the Register of Interests portal?
If you have logged into your eServices account via the eServices website, you will need to visit the Commission's website at https://www.standardsinpubliclifecommission.ky/register-of-interests click the CSPL Register of Interests portal yellow button, to access the portal. To avoid the additional redirect to the Commission's website we recommend you access the Register of Interests portal using this method going forward. We are looking into a solution with the eServices team to rectify this matter and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
I'm having trouble viewing the tutorial videos on this website, is there another way to view?
Yes, the Commissions for Standards in Public Life has a YouTube channel which provides access to the tutorial videos. To access the CSPL YouTube channel click here.
I do not have an email address and have limited access to the internet. Is there another way to submit a declaration?
If you are unable to submit your declaration via the online portal due to not having internet or email access, or for any other reason, please contact the Commissions Secretariat at 244-3685 or roi@standardsinpubliclifecommission.ky.
How is my personal information stored?
Your data and privacy are important to us. As such, the personal details included in Part 1 of the declaration will only be used by the Commission for direct communication with you in relation to your submissions and requirements under the SPL Act as a person in public life. This information will not be stored in the Register and therefore will not be made available to the general public. In accordance with the SPL Act, the Commission is required to retain all declarations for a minimum of five years. More details on how we treat your personal data can be found in our Privacy Notice.
I am no longer required to file an annual declaration of interest, and I wish to be removed from the email list.
There are a few options available to be removed from the email list. 1) In the automated email from the Commission the last line of the email footer states "If you no longer would like to receive reminder emails from the commission you can unsubscribe here. " click the here and follow the next steps. 2) When you log in to the Register of Interests portal, click the "Update My Personal Details" option box on the dashboard, the last option in the Personal Details section is the "Subscribe/Unsubscribe to Email Communications" move the toggle switch to unsubscribe. (please note: if you wish to change this at a later date to receive the emails, this can be done following the same steps) 3) Send an email request to the roi@standardsinpubliclifecommission.ky email to be removed.
How can I access/view online submissions to the Register of Interests?
Members of the public can view/access online submissions to the Register during normal working hours, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, at the Commissions Secretariat office. Visit the Contact Us page for details on how to find the office. Appointments are recommended.
General
Is there a basis in law for the requirement to submit declarations to the Register of Interests via the CSPL?
The functions of the Commission include, amongst other things, “to supervise the operation of registers of interest and to investigate breaches of established standards…” (section 117(9)(c) of the Constitution).
In accordance with section 121(1) of the Constitution, “there shall be for the Cayman Islands a Register of Interests, which shall be maintained by the Commission for Standards in Public Life.” Section 121(2) elaborates that all persons in public life have a constitutional obligation to declare to the Commission, “for entry into the Register of Interests, such interests, assets, income and liabilities of that person, or of any other person connected with him or her, as prescribed by [the] Act.” The Standards in Public Life Act and Regulations were commenced in early 2020 to outline the operation of the Register and the process for submissions to it.
What is a register of interests?
The Register of Interests, under the SPL Act, is a set of declarations made by persons in public life in which they declare to the Commission such interests, assets, income and liabilities of that person, or of any other person connected with his or her, as prescribed by [the] Law.
Who has to Declare?
Every “Person in Public Life” must make a declaration; these people are outlined in Schedule 1 of the Standards in Public Life Act.
The following persons are required to submit annual declarations utilising a Schedule 1 form:
- Members of Parliament, including the Speaker.
- Chief Officers and Deputy Chief Officers.
- Chief Financial Officers and Deputy Chief Financial Officers.
- Heads of departments, sections or units and their deputies, as well as any other organised entity within a ministry or portfolio, statutory authority, statutory body, government company, department, section or unit and their deputies.
- Chief executives of statutory authorities, government companies and their deputies.
- A person holding a full-time or part-time position in a public authority who engages in an activity that is in conflict, is likely to conflict, or may be perceived to conflict with, his position in a public authority.
The following persons are required to submit annual declarations utilising a Schedule 2 form:
- Members of governing bodies of statutory authorities.
- Members of governing bodies of government companies.
- Members of all Commissions created by or under the Constitution.
How do I declare?
Details on how to submit a declaration can be found at the top of this page.
When do I have to declare?
- For existing post-holders — on or before 30 July each year after assuming office.
- For new post-holders — within 90 days of assuming the functions of office.
- For candidates for election to Parliament — before filing nomination papers.
- For any person for whom the contents of their form has changed — within 30 days of any change.
NB: Extensions of up to 60 days may only be granted at the CSPL’s discretion where requests are made before the submission deadline.
Special Guidance
A person in public life who is:
- a board member of a statutory authority, public authority, commission or government company; or
- a member of a governing body of a statutory authority or of a government company; or
- a member of a Commission created by or under the Constitution;
will be required to complete a declaration annually. However, such declarations may be NIL filings except where there is a possible or perceived conflict with the Board Member’s functions on the entity to which they were appointed, in relation to themselves and any member of their immediate family.
Can the Register be Inspected?
Members of the public can inspect the Register during normal working hours, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, at the Commissions Secretariat office. Vist the Contact Us page for details on how to find the office. Appointments are recommended.
NB: In accordance with the Standards in Public Life Regulations, declarations in the Register can only be viewed at the Commissions Secretariat office. Furthermore, any mechanical or electronic reproduction (e.g. photocopy, photograph, scan, etc.) of any part of the Register is prohibited. Therefore, copies of declarations that may be retained by any third party (i.e. anyone except the declarant and the CSPL) should be destroyed.
What do I have to declare?
S.12(1) of the Standards in Public Life Act requires that the following categories of information must be declared as a part of one's interests, income, assets and liabilities:
- shareholdings and directorships held in any company or other corporate body;
- any contract made with any public entity;
- any company, partnership or association in which money is invested;
- any trust;
- any land, whether beneficial or otherwise;
- any investment fund in which an interest is held;
- sources of income other than a salary or money from other perquisites of office;
- other substantial interest whether of a pecuniary nature or not, which raise or may appear to raise a material conflict of interest;
- any loan, secured or non-secured, other than from any institution regulated under “regulatory acts” as defined by section 2 of the Monetary Authority Act (2013 Revision); and
- such other details as Cabinet may prescribe in regulations.
NB: Disclosure of actual amounts or extent of financial benefits, contributions or interests is not required (per s.12(4) of the SPL Act).
Offences under the Act
Failure to submit a required declaration or knowingly submitting a false declaration are two examples of offences that are punishable on summary conviction to fines, imprisonment, or both. For more information on offences you can refer to the Act.
Important Definitions
“Immediate family” means a spouse, a dependent or such other person as may be prescribed in Cabinet by regulations.
“Connected person” means a member of the immediate family of, or a person who acts on behalf of, or for the benefit of, the declarant, with the declarant’s actual or implied authority, and includes -
- a person who is a nominee of that person;
- a person who manages the affairs of that person;
- a firm of which that person, or a nominee of his, is a partner or a person in charge or in control of its business or affairs;
- a company within the meaning of section 2 of the Companies Act (as amended from time to time) of which that person, or a nominee of his, is a director or is in charge or in control of its business or affairs, or in which that person, alone or together with a nominee of his, has or have a controlling interest, or shares to the total value of not less than thirty per cent of the total issued capital of the corporation; or
- the trustee of any trust, where –
- the trust has been created by that person; or
- the total value of the assets contributed by that person to the trust at any time, whether before or after the creation of the trust, at any time, amounts to not less than twenty per cent of the total value of the assets of the trust.
“Conflict of interest” means a situation where a person has a private interest which may improperly influence or be seen to improperly influence his public duties and responsibilities, or that of a connected person, in circumstances suggesting that the person concerned knew or ought reasonably to have known of the connection or possible connection, direct or indirect, between his duties and responsibilities and his private interest.