Scott-Mottley wants PM to address illicit enrichment probe against parliamentarians
Published:Monday | August 14, 2023 | 8:33 AM
People's National Party (PNP) Vice-President, Donna Scott-Mottley, says Prime Minister Andrew Holness must tell the country if the six parliamentarians being investigated for alleged illicit enrichment by the Integrity Commission are associated with parliamentary committees despite the cloud over their heads.
Addressing Sunday's meeting of the PNP's South St James constituency conference at the Anchovy High School in Anchovy, St James, which was held to officially present Nekeisha Burchell as the party's standard-bearer for the constituency, Scott-Mottley argued Holness has a responsibility to publicly name the six individuals.
“I want to ask the Government if the six people who are being investigated for alleged illicit enrichment, if any of them sit on the joint select committee which is presently reviewing the Integrity Commission Act. I want to ask the Government if any of them sit on the Oversight Committee of Parliament, on the Integrity Commission, [and] if the answer to any of those is yes, the prime minister has a duty to tell the country who they are,” said Scott-Mottley.
“There are 63 Members of Parliament and 21 Senators, and six people should not impugn the integrity of all of us,” Scott-Mottley added.
In February, the Integrity Commission was accused of mishandling the communication of a report that implicated Holness in a conflict-of-interest case when he was education minister in 2008.
A ruling that was ready when the report was tabled, but which was not published until almost 48 hours after, said the matter should not be pursued against the prime minister.
In its annual report, which was tabled in Parliament on July 11, the Integrity Commission indicated that illicit enrichment probes were opened against six lawmakers and 28 other public officials.
It is not clear whether those public officials have disclosed their statuses or if any have been relieved of their duties.
The Integrity Commission's gag clause prevents it from naming subjects or commenting on investigations until a report is tabled in Parliament.
- Christopher Thomas
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