Amidst recent controversy regarding his finances, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness sternly reiterated on Sunday, August 3, that he has always worked hard for anything he has and has never benefited from any special treatment or privileges.

This follows last Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court, handing a win to Holness by ordering the Integrity Commission (IC) to disclose certain documents, if they exist, prepared by three named investigators who worked on the probe.

While speaking Sunday at the Kintyre Community Centre during a meeting of the Area Council 1, which formed part of the St Andrew East Rural Constituency Conference, Holness said: “The story of my life is that I have never been given anything free. I’ve had to work for anything that I’ve had. I have said it before, and I will say it again: I don’t know what a gold spoon looks like. It has never been in my mouth. I have no inheritance or any endowment, or any trust fund anywhere. Whatever I have, I have worked hard and honestly for it.

“I have never gained wealth by exploiting the people. No! And I want to say to you that my ethic is that I believe in working for what I have. By the sweat of my brow, I shall eat bread, and that is the ethic of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). We work for what we have.”

Dr Holness was speaking alongside his wife, Member of Parliament Juliet Holness and Desmond McKenzie, deputy leader of the JLP.

Dr Holness’ income and assets were under scrutiny by anti-corruption authorities from at least 2017, as investigators questioned the source of funds behind his net worth, which rose from $350,000 in 1998 to almost $160 million in 2019, court documents revealed.

Those details, including Holness’ investments in failed unregulated schemes such as Olint and Cash Plus, are among the material that Holness unsuccessfully tried to have struck from an affidavit in a judicial review case he brought against the IC and two of its senior officials, Craig Beresford, director of information and complaints, and Kevon Stephenson, director of investigation.

The details came at a politically charged moment as Holness is in the midst of an election campaign, seeking to lead the JLP to a third consecutive term in office, with polls being expected by September. 

While Holness’ filings up to 2020—including those featured in the documents filed in court—are certified, he sought to strike out at least 12 paragraphs and accompanying exhibits from Beresford’s affidavit, claiming they were “an abuse of process, scandalous, frivolous and vexatious”.

Dr Holness’ lawsuit seeks to challenge the commission’s inconclusive investigation into alleged illicit enrichment arising from his 2021 income declaration, which remains uncertified. Dr Holness and three affiliated entities—Imperium Holdings Limited, Positive Media Solutions, and the Positive Jamaica Foundation—are the claimants.

Dr Holness has denied any wrongdoing and accused the IC and its officials of conducting an unfair probe.

Beresford’s affidavit, which was filed in March, offers the public a rare glimpse into the workings of the commission and the circumstances behind the delays in certifying Dr Holness’ declarations after he became prime minister for a second time in 2016.

Last Thursday, a Supreme Court judge agreed but also handed a win to Holness by ordering the commission to disclose certain documents, if they exist, prepared by three named investigators who worked on the probe.

The commission argued that the investigation extended beyond the 2021 income filing and instead examined whether there were reasonable grounds to suspect illicit enrichment.