Young Jamaica, the youth arm of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has called for the resignation of East Central St Andrew Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon following revelations made during a recent session of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

“Young Jamaica, take note of confirmation during yesterday’s Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that JACDEN Limited is among the multi-million dollar beneficiaries of what a recent report from the Auditor General revealed to be the unlawful and inappropriate use of the tax exemption status of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI),” the youth arm said in a statement.

According to Young Jamaica, the owner and chairman of JACDEN Limited is People’s National Party (PNP) Chairman for Region 3, PAC Member and East Central St Andrew Member of Parliament, Dennis Gordon.

“Young Jamaica notes that it was revealed at yesterday’s sitting of the PAC that JACDEN used the UHWI’s tax exemption status in the purchase and importation of items, including dialysis machines, which were immediately transported to the premises of JACDEN.

“This unlawful use of the UHWI’s tax exemption status, which is now the subject of separate investigations by the Integrity Commission and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), has deprived Jamaican taxpayers of millions of dollars, which could have been used to provide vital services to the public,” Young Jamaica added.

The group said that the UHWI revealed during the PAC meeting on Tuesday that taxpayers will be called upon to pay for the breaches from which JACDEN was an unlawful, multi-million dollar beneficiary.

“Young Jamaica is of the view that, given his company’s status as a prime beneficiary of the unlawful use of UHWI’s tax exemption privilege and the additional burden the unlawful arrangement has placed on taxpayers, Dennis Gordon’s positions both as Member of Parliament, PNP Region 3 Chairman and PAC Member are all untenable.

“Consequently, Young Jamaica calls on Gordon to immediately resign from all three positions with immediate effect,” Young Jamaica continued.

The organisation also criticised PNP President Mark Golding’s prolonged failure to act against Gordon, “confirming that Golding cannot be taken seriously when he speaks about probity and accountability. Mark Golding’s inaction in treating with the deepening JACDEN/UHWI tax exemption scandal confirms that Golding has lost any credibility which he had professed to have concerning the aforementioned principles.”

Additionally, Young Jamaica notes reports that attempts were made by JACDEN by way of letters from their lawyers to cause media houses to retract what has now emerged to be accurate reporting on JACDEN as the entity embroiled in the UHWI’s tax exemption status scandal.

“Young Jamaica strongly condemns this action by JACDEN as contemptuous and an affront to freedom of the press in Jamaica,” the group said.