Prime Minister Andrew Holness
Prime Minister Andrew Holness is to know on December 6, whether the Supreme Court will grant his request for leave to seek judicial review of the Integrity Commission report on his financial affairs.
The Prime Minister is seeking, among other things, to have the commission's investigation report on his statutory declarations rejected as "unlawful" and "unfair".
A judicial review allows the court to scrutinise processes used by a public authority to make decisions.
Justice Althea Jarrett reserved her decision on Friday after hearing submissions over the last two days from the attorneys for Prime Minister Holness.
Mr. Holness applied to the Supreme Court on September 30 for several administrative orders, including the review.
In the controversial 171-page report, the IC's director of investigation, Kevon Stephenson, said he could not conclude on the question of illicit enrichment, highlighted unexplained financial discrepancies in Mr. Holness' 2021 income filings, and raised questions about tax compliance and transactions of over $470 million involving connected companies.
The commission, which said it could not certify the income declaration, referred the matter to the Financial Investigations Division, citing Mr. Holness' failure to provide expense details.
But Prime Minister Holness has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the report is flawed and unfairly suggests unethical and criminal conduct by him and affiliated firms.
He wants the Supreme Court to terminate all investigations into his financial affairs, invalidate the report, strike down certain provisions of the Integrity Commission Act, and declare sections of the Corruption Prevention Act used to probe illicit enrichment as "unconstitutional".
Mr. Holness, his company, Imperium Investments Holdings Limited, and two other connected entities – Positive Media Solutions Limited and Positive Jamaica Foundation – are seeking the judicial review.
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