.png)
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an application by Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness to strike out what he described as "scandalous" portions of an affidavit filed by a senior Integrity Commission official in response to his lawsuit against the anti-corruption body.
Justice Althea Jarrett also denied Dr. Holness access to certain contested documents he claimed were critical to his case including redacted materials. However, the judge granted Dr. Holness and his co-claimants - Imperium Holdings Limited, Positive Media Solutions and the Positive Jamaica Foundation - permission to appeal the ruling.
The Prime Minister was successful in getting the court to order the commission to disclose certain documents prepared by officials involved in the controversial investigation of his financial affairs.
Dr. Holness's team had also applied for the disclosure of a report done by an international forensic accountant.
The Integrity Commission provided the document earlier this month. The court also granted a stay of the proceedings, meaning the October judicial review against the commission's investigations into Dr. Holness's finances cannot proceed until the appeal is decided.
Prime Minister Holness and the three associated entities had sought to remove at least 12 paragraphs from the 108-page affidavit sworn by Craig Beresford, the Integrity Commission's Director of Information and Complaints.
The Prime Minister argued that some of the paragraphs and accompanying exhibits were "an abuse of process, scandalous, frivolous and vexatious," with prejudicial value outweighing any probative worth.
However, the commission maintained that the statements were directly responsive to claims made by Dr. Holness and were within Mr. Beresford's personal knowledge.
The case forms part of a broader judicial review and constitutional challenge over the commission's handling of an investigation into the Prime Minister's finances and alleged illicit enrichment.
In September 2024, Dr. Holness and the three entities filed a sweeping judicial review claim against Mr. Beresford, Director of Investigations Kevon Stephenson and the Integrity Commission. The claim challenges the fairness of the commission's investigation into Dr. Holness's finances.
Mr. Stephenson had raised concerns over unexplained discrepancies in Dr. Holness's 2021 filings, as well as questions regarding tax compliance and transactions exceeding $470 million involving companies linked to him.
Dr. Holness has denied any wrongdoing.
comments powered by Disqus
All feeds
