Eight reasons Jamaica’s corruption perception worsened
Head of the National Integrity Action, Professor Trevor Munroe has indicated events that have contributed to
Jamaica scored 43 on the Corruption Perception Index, slipping a place from the 44 score it made in 2018.
A zero scored is perceived as very clean, while 100 is viewed as very corrupt.
The 43 score made the country’s corruption perception score ranking worsened. Jamaica is now ranked 74 of 180 countries on the Index. In 2018, it was ranked 70th.
And Munroe has outlined all the developments in 2019 that caused this.
The reasons
1. March 2019 – resignation of Education Minister Ruel Reid in the context of corruption-related allegations – no reason offered at the time despite enquiry.
2. April 2019 – Investigation report of the sale of Rooms on the Beach property by the Contractor General alleging improper conduct.
3. May 2019 – The first press conference of the Integrity Commission. It emerges in that press conference that the Prime Minister’s statutory declaration has not been “cleared”.
4. July 2019 – The first annual report of the Integrity Commission released – two MPs are under investigation by the Financial Investigation Unit of the Integrity Commission but their names were not disclosed.
5. July 2019 – annual report of the Integrity Commission says that the investigation of Petrojam was completed and referred to the Director of Corruption Prosecution. But since then there has been no disclosure regarding the consequences of this referral.
6. August 2019 – retirement of the Director of Corruption Prosecution from the Integrity Commission following differences between the commissioners and the director regarding Rooms on the Beach report – no reason offered by the retiree.
7. August 2019 – controversy regarding the statutory declaration of the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition insofar as the declarations only indicated purchase price and not the estimated market of immovable property held by the declarant, spouse and children as indicated by the third schedule off the Integrity Commission Act.
8. September 2019 – chairman of the Integrity Commission resigns and no explanation offered.
