HANOVER, Jamaica – An investigation has been launched into allegations of mismanagement and nepotism in the awarding of contracts by the Hanover Municipal Corporation, OBSERVER ONLINE has learnt.

It’s understood that members of the Integrity Commission and other entities spent almost the entire day there yesterday perusing documents. They also reportedly took documents with them.

Sources told OBSERVER ONLINE that the other entities involved were the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC) and the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA).

Chief executive officer of the corporation David Gardner did not confirm the presence of latter two, but he did confirm that the Integrity Commission was present at the corporation.

Efforts to reach Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels, who has been at the centre of a number of allegations recently, were not forthcoming up to late evening.

At a press conference on Monday, the mayor had called on the Ministry of Local Government to investigate the allegations.

The press conference was called to address the issue of two videos circulating on social media in which the narrator claims that a relative of the mayor had received between $5 million and $7 million of contract work over a period of four years from the corporation despite not being a contractor.

The mayor has denied that the individual is his relative.

 In September, Mayor Samuels threatened legal action against the individual(s) responsible for a message which made the social rounds and which alleged that $5 million was stolen from the coffers of the Hanover Municipal Corporation and used to sabotage the former Member of Parliament (MP)

 for Hanover Western Ian Hayles and the People’s National Party in the September 3 General Election.

 Anthony Lewis