Opposition Leader Mark Golding has declared that the country has been placed in “an untenable position” after Prime Minister Andrew Holness was cited for possible conflict of interest in relation to the award of Government contracts to Westcon Construction Limited during his time as education minister.

A report on the Integrity Commission’s investigation into the awarding of the contracts, tabled in Parliament, has indicated that Holness has been referred to the Director of Corruption Prosecution in connection with the matter.

In a statement this afternoon, the People’s National Party (PNP) declared it was appalled by what it called the “unprecedented news that the Head of Government, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, has been
referred to the Director of Corruption Prosecution for possible charges in a multi-million dollar
corruption probe”.

The PNP statement read: “This referral by the Integrity Commission is based on their investigation and
report to Parliament implicating Prime Minister Holness in allegations of conflict of interest regarding tens of millions of dollars of contracts awarded to close associates from as far back as 2009 when he was Minister of Education.”

In commenting on the report, Golding, who is also president of the PNP, said: “This revelation exposes the country to international embarrassment. A head of Government should be beyond reproach, and it is
unacceptable that he has been besmirched by accusations of impropriety. That the country’s principal integrity and anti-corruption body has found sufficient evidence to refer our Prime Minister for potential prosecution, places Jamaica in an untenable position.”

The Opposition said it noted that “this devastating news is unfortunately consistent with the Prime
Minister’s troubling history with the Integrity Commission, including their inability to certify his
2021 statutory declaration of assets, liabilities and income”.

Said the PNP: “Furthermore, to date Prime Minister Holness has failed to sign the Integrity Commissions’
Leadership Code of Conduct. PNP President Mark Golding and other leaders within the PNP have already signed that instrument, declaring their commitment to the highest standards of governance and probity in public life.

“The Opposition believes the implications of the report to be potentially crippling for the Government. The international community and multi-lateral agencies will have significant misgivings about dealing with a country whose Head of Government has the implications of this situation hanging over his head.”

In its 107-page report, the Integrity Commission said the probe concerned allegations that contracts were awarded to Weston Construction and that there was a “connection and/or relationship between the proprietors of the named entity and … Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica and then Minister of Education Youth and Information”.

The investigation, started by the then Office of the Contractor General before it was subsumed by the Integrity Commission, sought to determine the nature and particulars of Government of Jamaica (GoJ) contracts that were awarded to Westcon Construction Limited during the relevant period; the nature and extent of the relationship between Holness and the directors/principals of Westcon Construction, the extent of the involvement, if any, of Holness in the award of GOJ contracts to Westcon Construction, whether the circumstances surrounding the award of contracts and/or the process(es) utilised by (i) the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI) (ii) the NWA(iii) the SDC was devoid of irregularity and impropriety and was fair and transparent.

Among his conclusions, Director of Investigations Kevon Stephenson stated:

1- The Director of Investigation on the evidence finds that the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has a personal affiliation with Mr. Robert Garvin, one of the Directors of the entity Westcon Construction Limited. By his own admission, the Most Hon. Prime Minister disclosed that Mr. Garvin was personally known to him for approximately 20 years.

2- Notwithstanding the fact that, the SDC was the implementing agency entrusted with the authority to effect the administration of GOJ contracts and thereby enforce the stipulated formal procurement
procedures, the Director of Investigation concludes that the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, by his admitted recommendation of Westcon Construction Limited, may have influenced the award of the contracts
to the mentioned contractor.

3- The issue is further compounded by the nature of the relationship between Mr. Robert Garvin, Director, Westcon Construction Limited and the Most Hon. Andrew Holness. In this regard, the Director of
Investigation has reasonable grounds to believe that the apparent influence of the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, which was brought to bear upon the contracts which were awarded by the SDC to Westcon
Construction Limited, prima facie, gave rise to a conflict of interest, on the part of the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.