Michael Belnavis, former Mayor of St. Ann's Bay - file photo
The Integrity Commission has found that the request by former St. Ann's Bay Mayor Michael Belnavis for the installation of a car charging port at the St. Ann Municipal Corporation building for his personal use was inappropriate and amounted to an abuse of his office.
Mr. Belnavis resigned as mayor in July 2020 as he faced criticism for installing the charging port for his luxury vehicle without authorization.
The Integrity Commission launched a probe into the matter and its report was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon.
In the report, the director of investigation noted that in March 2019, Mr. Belnavis sent a memorandum to Rovel Morris, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Ann Municipal Corporation, requesting installation of the car charging facility.
He said based on evidence, the charging facility was installed for Mr. Belnavis' personal use.
The Director of Investigation concluded that the $78,226 used to pay for installation of the port was from the St. Ann Municipal Corporation and the device was powered by energy sourced by the corporation from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).
He noted that although the installation cost was repaid by Mr. Belnavis, this does not take away from the irregularity of the payment by the corporation in the first place.
According to the report, the commission could not ascertain the costs associated with the electricity use, but has recommended that the sum be calculated and recouped from the CEO, Mr. Morris.
The Director of Investigation has also referred the actions of Mr. Morris to the Attorney General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government for legal and disciplinary proceedings to take place.
He said the Chief Executive Officer of the St. Ann Municipal Corporation must desist, with immediate effect, from authorizing or causing the authorization of the expenditure of public funds for personal use.
Political representatives were also warned to desist from making requests of accounting officers, which require them to deploy public resources for their personal use.
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