State Minister Zavia Mayne files lawsuit against Integrity Commission

 

State Minister for Finance and the Public Service Zavia Mayne has filed a lawsuit against the Integrity Commission, asking the Supreme Court to quash the ruling of the Director of Corruption Prosecution that he should be charged for breaching the Integrity Commission Act. 

 

In his application for leave for a judicial review filed on Monday, Mr. Mayne also requested that the court rescind the July 14, 2025 investigation report, tabled last week in Parliament, which said he failed to supply information requested regarding his statutory declarations for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

 

Three senior directors - Craig Beresford, Kevon Stephenson, Roneiph Lawrence - and the IC have been named as respondents. 

 

Attorney-at-law Nigel Jones, who is representing Mr. Mayne, said his client had been dealt a severe injustice in relation to how the matter has been handled.

 

"There are several issues, but amongst them, some of the salient ones are, there was an indication by the Commission that they had requested documents from Mr. Mayne and that those were not provided. I guess this had its genesis in a notice which was issued prior to the report, and so there was an indication that there was non-compliance with this notice. But if you look at the notice itself, you will see where documents were specifically requested, Mr. Mayne provided those documents; where they asked for information, information was given," said the attorney.

 

The state minister is also accusing the anti-corruption body of breaching his constitutional rights by disclosing the contents or subject matter of its investigation. 

 

In his application, Mr. Mayne is seeking several declarations including that the investigation, findings, conclusions and or recommendations made by the respondents were done in breach of the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness. 

 

"We also ask for a declaration that the respondents acted in breach of natural justice and or Section 162 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, as the applicants were entitled to a hearing at Common Law and or Section 62 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, prior to making recommendations adversely to his rights and interest," Mr. Jones insisted.

 

The government lawmaker has asked the Court to award damages for breach of privacy including stigma damages, damages for negligent investigation, aggravated damages, vindicatory damages and costs. 

 

If convicted in the parish court of the charges levelled by the Integrity Commission, Mr. Mayne could face a fine of up to $500,000 or imprisonment for up to six months. 

 

The court may also order him to comply with the outstanding requirements.