Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness faces anti-corruption charges

• Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been sent to the director of prosecutions by the anti-corruption agency.
• The Integrity Commission found that Westcon directors had been doing business with Holness.
• Holness may have violated the Contractor General Act.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been sent to the director of prosecutions by Jamaica’s anti-corruption agency in relation to government contracts given to a construction firm between 2006 and 2009.

The Integrity Commission published a report on Wednesday that discussed an inquiry into a recommendation for contracts with Westcon Construction Limited made by the prime minister, alleging a potential “conflict of interest.”

In a statement, Holness stated that he “strongly disagree(s) with the findings of the Integrity Commission regarding conflict of interest based on mere associations.”

Outside of regular business hours, a Westcon spokeswoman was not readily accessible for comment.

When Holness was in charge of the Ministry of Education, Westcon was given ten contracts at almost JMD$22 million ($140,000) over a two-year period.

In its 107-page report, the panel claimed that Westcon directors Robert Garvin and Donavan Simpson had been doing business with Holness for more than 20 years and were “known to” him.

Contracts with more governmental organizations were given to the business.

According to the panel, Holness may have violated the Contractor General Act, the Public Sector Procurement Regulations of 2008, and the Corruption Act (Prevention Act).

The corruption of public officials in Jamaica has long been a problem, and the country consistently receives a low ranking on the annual Corruption Perception Index created by the anti-corruption organization Transparency International.

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