Integrity Commission submits investigation report to Parliament

The Integrity Commission (IC) has submitted another investigation report to Parliament and is now awaiting tabling.

The report was submitted along with an associated indicative ruling and the full ruling from the commission's director of corruption prosecution.

While the nature of the investigation report, or who it relates to, cannot be provided until it is tabled in Parliament, the IC said the relevant documentation was formally received and signed for at the Parliament at 3:07 pm yesterday.

Hard copies of the investigation report were submitted in separate envelopes, under cover of identical letters, addressed to House Speaker Juliet Holness, President of the Senate, Tom Tavares-Finson, and Clerk of the Houses of Parliament, Colleen Lowe.

The associated indicative ruling which was embodied in a second and separate letter, together with the full ruling of the director of corruption prosecution in the matter, were also similarly submitted.

A USB flash drive containing electronic PDF copies of all the documentation submitted, was also conveyed for the attention of the clerks to the Houses.

The IC said it anticipates that its investigation report, which was submitted pursuant to and in conformance with Section 54 of the Integrity Commission Act, together with the referenced indicative ruling and full ruling, will be tabled in the Parliament as soon as possible.

The commission noted that Section 54 (4) of the Integrity Commission Act provides that "where the report (from the Director of Investigation) to the commission has a recommendation under subsection (3), the commission shall submit it to Parliament for tabling."

The last investigative report from the IC was relative to the statutories and financial affairs of Prime Minister Andrew Holness. It was submitted to Parliament early last month.

Holness has gone to court to file an application for a judicial view of the investigation report.

Apart from wanting the IC's findings to be overturned and wanting the court to declare the investigation report as "unlawful" and "unfair", Holness is also seeking monetary compensation.

Of particular note is that Holness wants the Supreme Court to strike down as unconstitutional, a law used by the IC to probe public officials for illicit enrichment. If he is successful, it would have implications for at least seven other parliamentarians who are similarly under probe for illicit gain.