Ethics Committee to summon Gordon

The Parliament’s Ethics Committee says it is moving to have embattled St Andrew East Central Member of Parliament (MP) Dennis Gordon appear before it on April 22 to clarify statements he made during a previous meeting concerning matters related to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) procurement and tax exemption issue.

The Ethics Committee, at its last meeting in February, considered and signed off on an exemption motion which allowed Gordon not to vacate his seat if he becomes party to any contract with the Government.

The House of Representatives subsequently gave the stamp of approval to the exemption motion for Gordon to do business with the Government, while remaining an MP.

At a meeting of the Ethics Committee yesterday at Gordon House, St Andrew West Rural MP Juliet Cuthbert Flynn argued that based on what had been revealed at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week, the Ethics Committee might have to “bring back a member”. It was later disclosed by committee Chairman Marlene Malahoo Forte that the member in question was Gordon.

Without disclosing details from the minutes of the last meeting of the Ethics Committee, Cuthbert Flynn indicated that the accuracy of the information provided by Gordon has been called into question based on information that has now come to light.

At last week’s PAC meeting, UHWI officials confirmed that JACDEN, a company headed by Gordon, was one of four firms that benefited from the misuse of tax exemptions by the hospital.

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis had uncovered a litany of procurement and tax exemption breaches at the UHWI in a performance audit of the institution, the findings of which were tabled in Parliament in January.

On Sunday, Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding said a decision had been made for Gordon to relinquish his positions as a member of the PAC and the Shadow Cabinet until at least three investigations into how the UHWI used its tax exempt status to benefit private companies were completed.

Member of the Ethics Committee Franklyn Witter queried whether it could reverse the approval that had already been granted to Gordon by the House.

“At this stage, it is not really a decision to reverse the recommendation that was made, but to interrogate it in light of subsequent developments,” Malahoo Forte said.

She made it clear that the Ethics Committee made its recommendation based on responses given by Gordon at the time and, therefore, the House acted on that advice to approve.

The Ethics Committee had its first meeting before the public yesterday, having sat in-camera in previous meetings to consider exemption motions for MPs who do business with the Government.

At yesterday’s meeting, an apology was tendered for opposition MP Natalie Garvey, who was unable to attend. At least two other opposition MPs who are members of the committee, Anthony Hylton and Andrea Purkiss, were absent.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com