Gov't awaiting parliamentary committee's recommendations on possible changes to IC Act

 

Information Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon says the government is awaiting the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament on whether there should be changes to sections of the Integrity Commission Act.

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness fueled public debate two weeks ago when he filed a suit in the Supreme Court seeking judicial review of decisions by the Integrity Commission in its investigation into his financial affairs.

 

Mr. Holness also applied for Judicial Review of section 14(5) of the Corruption Prevention Act as it relates to the disclosure of assets and earnings of public sector employees.

 

In the constitutional challenge to the Corruption Prevent Act, Mr. Holness accused the IC of acting unfairly and seeking to embarrass him when it raised questions about his statutory declaration.

 

Mr. Holness petitioned the court after the Integrity Commission declined to sign off on his statutory declarations and referred its investigation report to the Financial Investigations Division and Tax Administration Jamaica. 

 

During Wednesday's post-Cabinet press briefing, the Information Minister said the Prime Minister's legal battle has not been discussed at Cabinet.

 

She said the issue of possible changes to provisions of the law rests with the Joint Select Committee reviewing the Integrity Commission Act.

 

"Many persons have sat before that Joint Select and given their opinions. In many instances, there are diverging opinions and that's where we have a Joint Select Committee.... And so I would like us to let that process play out. And in terms of the government, we believe that that is the right process through which we should review that legislation, and we will get some recommendations coming from it."

 

She said the government will discuss the recommendations when they are presented. 

 

"But right now, there is no articulated position of the government outside of we have a Joint Select Committee that is reviewing the legislation and we are hearing the views of the public in relation to it," she maintained.