JLP criticises PNP after Robinson forced to apologise to First Rock

 

The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has chided the People's National Party and Opposition Spokesperson on Finance Julian Robinson after he was forced to apologise to First Rock Real Estate Investments for his statement on Wednesday that the entity had been placed in receivership. 

 

The JLP says Mr. Robinson's initial statement on First Rock Real Estate Investments represents the continuation of a trend where People's National Party spokespersons and supporters have been peddling misleading allegations without any care for accuracy and reputations they damage.

 

Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, Chairman of the JLP's Communication Task Force, is calling for the PNP to desist from making misleading statements for political gain.

 

"The conduct of the Opposition Spokesman on Finance in entering false information into the public domain then apologising, is disappointing but cannot be surprising. One would have expected that an individual of Robinson's stature in terms of his position in the shadow cabinet would have had the diligence to check the accuracy of such information before uttering it in the public domain. Clearly he did not. In another jurisdiction Julian Robinson would have had to tender his resignation to his political bosses this morning given the egregious nature of his conduct and the potential far-reaching implications of the false statement he made," Mr. Fitz-Henley suggested. 

 

Mr. Robinson's error followed a release from Sagicor Bank Jamaica that it had made the difficult decision to place the lands under mortgages for the Hambani Estate Development, granted to First Rock Real Estate Investments Limited, into receivership. 

 

While apologising to First Rock for his error, the opposition spokesman reiterated concern about the investments of government entities in the financial institution. 

 

He said given the issues with the Hambani project, the opposition still has questions about the value of the investments that Norman Manley International Airport, Airports Authority of Jamaica and the National Insurance Fund hold in First Rock.

 

Mr. Robinson called for the Minister of Finance to indicate how much money has been invested by these three entities into First Rock and what is the current value of those investments.