PM to answer more Integrity Commission questions on statutory declarations
Published:Thursday | November 9, 2023 | 12:34 AM
THE INTEGRITY Commission has asked Prime Minister Andrew Holness to respond to a second set of questions concerning his statutory declarations, the certification of which has remained outstanding for two consecutive years.
Holness made the disclosure during yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, where he noted that he would seek to respond to the anti-corruption body by tomorrow.
“They have written to me asking various questions. I have provided answers, and they have written to me again, and I am in the process of providing those answers,” the prime minister said in response to a question from Television Jamaica’s Jamaila Maitland.
Holness, who noted that he has had to be “very frugal” with his time, said it was to be appreciated that it would take time for him to set aside days to vet the questions and respond.
“I hope to be able to respond to them before the end of this week. So I’m hopeful that they will do their work and provide the nation with the necessary certification,” Holness said.
The prime minister said his often silence on matters related to the Integrity Commission should not be interpreted as him not wanting to address the issue of his filings.
He said his silence is maintained out of a need to protect the country’s laws and institutions.
“So I’m hopeful that in short order, this matter will be resolved,” he said, adding that follow-up questions from the Integrity Commission were “routine”.
Holness also declared that it was not unprecedented for the commission to “take a long time” to certify his statutory declarations.
“I suspect as prime minister, they would want to be very detailed in what they do. I would hope that there is no difference in my treatment than given to others. I would not want to think so,” he said.
The commission, in its 2022 annual report, said the Third Schedule is its primary data-collection tool, which aids with the determination of a declarant’s net worth to ensure that any growth in assets or reduction in liabilities are sufficiently supported by legitimate income.
It said that the legitimacy of the assets, liabilities, and income declared by declarants must be validated by the commission’s research and third-party verification processes, in the first instance, to ensure that there is no concealment.
“ … Succinctly put, the commission must ensure that there is no illicit enrichment prior to certifying a statutory declaration,” it said.
In May, the prime minister expressed concern that the 2021 document that reveals his income, assets, and liabilities had not been published by the commission.
He said then that he was in the dark as to what was preventing the commission from publishing his statutory declaration, which is a requirement under the law.
Holness told journalists at the press conference that he remained “concerned”.
The Integrity Commission maintained that it was not in a position to certify the prime minister’s declaration.