Government Senators hit out against Integrity Commission over Holness probe

Government Senators today chastised the Integrity Commission and its Executive Director Greg Christie over the handling of the matter related to Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

In a statement today, they describe the situation as unjust,  unusual and bizarre.

The commission today rejected claims it acted improperly by allowing its findings into a probe of possible conflict of interest involving Holness to be tabled in Parliament without releasing at the same time a ruling stating that he would not be charged.

“It is worth repeating and stressing that publication of the ruling could not be done before or simultaneously with the report. It had to await the tabling of the report. That is the law as crafted by Parliament,” it said in a statement on Friday.

The Integrity Commission cited Section 53(3) of the Integrity Commission Act in arguing that the ruling of the Director of Corruption Prosecution cannot be communicated to anyone before the report has been tabled.

That section states that “until the tabling of a report in Parliament, all matters under investigation by the Director of Investigation or any other person involved in such investigation shall be kept confidential and no report or public statement shall be made by the Commission or any other person in relation to the initiation or conduct of (the) investigation.”

The Integrity Commission said it wanted to assure the public that it takes its task seriously and says it “rejects any assertion that there has been any misstep in the proceedings”.

But, the Government Senators have charged that the agency has been brought into public disrepute.

They also hit out against Christie's management the affairs of the commission and his public deport on social media.

“The reputation and governance of the commission as an institution must be restored by immediate action which must include an investigation … and the resignation or other removal of the Executive Director.

“Organisations such as the Integrity Commission of Jamaica operate successfully in a democratic society only when they enjoy the confidence and support of the society as a whole and are able to attract and retain the confidence of key stakeholders.”

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