Bartlett chides Opposition on Integrity Commission report referral motion

Chairman of the Integrity Commission Oversight Committee Edmund Bartlett says it would be redundant for the parliamentary body to give approval to a motion calling for the report of the Integrity Commission into the statutory declarations of Prime Minister Andrew Holness to be referred to the Financial Investigation Division (FID) for review.

The motion was moved by Opposition legislator Julian Robinson during a meeting of the committee today.

Director of Investigation at the Integrity Commission, Kevon Stephenson, said there was sufficient basis on which to make a referral to the commissioner general of Tax Administration Jamaica and the FID for a determination to be made as to the appropriateness of the filing of nil tax returns by Prime Minister Holness.

He also wants the FID to determine whether there is any financial impropriety on the part of the companies owned or part-owned by the prime minister. 

The Government side rejected the motion.

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In a media release, Bartlett noted that the FID has already disclosed in the public domain that it is in possession of referral and related documents from the Integrity Commission.

“Therefore, the motion advanced by Member Robinson proposed to seek to achieve that which has already transpired,” he said.

He also asserted that the motion was improperly brought and amounted to an abuse of the process.

“I urge committee members to desist from abusing the processes of the parliament in an apparent bid to achieve partisan objectives,” said Bartlett.

He stated that the commissioners of the Integrity Commission have been invited to the next meeting of the parliamentary committee on October 3 to give further and better particulars surrounding the recommendations of the report.

“This is the normal procedure. Therefore, any motion which sought to preempt this process was not in good order.”