UPDATED | Golding’s statutory declaration released; Holness' yet to be published
Published:Sunday | October 16, 2022 | 12:11 AM
Opposition Leader Mark Golding and his family had asset holdings worth over $117 million at the end of last year, his latest statutory declaration has revealed.
Golding, an investment banker and attorney, also reported US$1.3 million and £1,660 in assets as at December 31 last year.
A notice in The Sunday Gleaner today showed that a summary of his incomes, assets and liabilities, as declared to the Integrity Commission, was published in the Jamaica Gazette on October 3, the first time for him as Opposition leader.
“The Integrity Commission hereby certifies that the statutory declaration submitted by the above-named declarant has been examined,” said the agency tasked with enforcing Jamaica's corruption laws in a note attached to the publication.
“Based on the examination, which does not constitute an audit, it appears that the declaration has been duly completed.”
The publication did not include the statutory declaration of Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
Under the law, the Integrity Commission is mandated to publish annually in the Jamaica Gazette the summary of the statutory declarations of the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition.
There was no response from Holness' press secretary, Naomi Francis, up to late yesterday to enquiries about the reason for the non-publication of his statutory declaration of assets, income and liabilities.
The prime minister filed his 2018 declaration late. The one for 2020 was published in January.
His filing for 2019 was gazetted on November 27, 2020, while his declaration for 2020, which covered the period January 1 to September 3 (the date of the last national polls), was published in the Jamaica Gazette on January 10 this year.
Total income
Golding's declaration shows that he and his family had a total income of $21.4 million over the last calendar year, including $10.3 million in salary; $3 million from securities; and $7.2 million under “other”.
The family also reported an additional US$593,277 in income.
The Goldings asset portfolio includes $62 million in securities, business investments of $25 million, motor vehicles worth $10 million, and life insurance with a cash value of $6 million.
It also includes real estate with a current market value of $45 million, just over four times the estimated value at the time of transfer, the records show.
The Opposition leader and his family have liabilities of J$1.5 million and US$3,101.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The headline of this story has been amended to make it clear that Prime Minister Andrew Holness' statutory declaration is yet to be published. The Integrity Commission says the document was submitted "on time" however it "is not in a position to certify it".