Prime Minister Andrew Holness has instructed his legal team to file defamation lawsuits against senior members of the Opposition People’s National Party, PNP, over comments made at a media conference on Thursday morning.
The comments concern the dates on which the Prime Minister became aware of an Integrity Commission investigation into allegations of illicit enrichment.
Daina Davy has that story.
The Prime Minister says he did not lie to the nation when he told the country on August 17, 2023 that he was not aware of any investigation into allegations of illicit enrichment.
He says he intends to defend his reputation in a court of law.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Abka Fitz Henley, confirmed the Prime Minister’s intention to file suit against senior members of the Opposition.
The members of the PNP who addressed that media conference were Opposition Leader, Mark Golding, PNP General Secretary, Dr. Dayton Campbell, Opposition Spokesman on Justice, Senator Donna Scott Mottley and PNP stalwart, KD Knight.
It’s not immediately clear which of the PNP members would be sued.
But in a statement issued this afternoon by Holness’ attorney, King’s Counsel, Georgia Gibson Henlin, she indicated that none of the correspondence received by the Prime Minister from the Integrity Commission referenced Section 14 (5) of the Corruption Prevention Act or the words illicit enrichment.
Section 14 (5) of the Corruption Prevention Act creates the offence of illicit enrichment.
According to Holness’ attorneys, on April 26, 2023, he received a letter from the Director of Information & Complaints advising him that his 2021 Statutory Declaration was referred for investigation under sections 32 and 42 of the Integrity Commission Act.
Holness was allegedly further advised that the Director of Investigation would be in touch with him.
The attorneys say on May 5, 2023, the Director of Investigation confirmed that the matter was referred to him for investigation.
He told the Prime Minister that he was in the process of conducting an assessment and preliminary inquiries and would be in touch in due course.
The attorneys say on May 26 2023, the Director of Investigation wrote to Holness to advise that “new material had come to light” and had been referred for investigation.
Kevon Stephenson allegedly advised that he was conducting an assessment and inquiries with a view to inviting Holness for an interview before the Commission.
The Prime Minister’s legal team indicates that on the June 20, 2023, they wrote to the Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Retired Justice Seymour Panton, objecting to the manner in which the matter was referred and indicating that Mr. Holness was not given an opportunity to respond to the new material.
That letter was reportedly copied to the Director of Investigation.
It’s understood that on July 11 2023, Justice Panton responded and disagreed with Holness’ position.
The attorneys say on July 19 2023, Holness was formally invited to an interview with the Commission.
The Prime Minister’s attorneys are maintaining that it was only on the 18th of August 2023 that it was communicated to the Prime Minister that an investigation of illicit enrichment under section 14 (5) of of the Corruption Prevention Act had been launched.
The attorneys say that would have been one day after the Prime Minister was publicly asked about illicit enrichment, on August 17, 2023.
Mr. Holness’ attorneys say, therefore, when the Prime Minister was asked about his knowledge of whether any member of the Jamaica Labour Party was under investigation for illicit enrichment, he answered truthfully.
The attorneys say any statement that Holness was aware of the basis of the investigation by the Commission from April of 2023 are false.
The attorneys say their instructions are to take legal action against persons who make statements in the public domain which are inconsistent with the stated timeline.
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