A political war of words has broken out over the Integrity Commission’s report which has cited possible corruption prosecution of ruling Jamaica Labour Party leader and prime minister, Andrew Holness.

In the report, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, Holness was referred to the director of corruption prosecution regarding the award of Government contracts to Westcon Construction Limited between 2006 to 2009, citing a conflict of interest.

However, the commission advised Parliament yesterday that there was no evidence to press charges against the prime minister, after referral was made with respect to breaches of the Contractor General Act, the Public Sector Procurement Regulations 2008, the Corruption (Prevention) Act and/or any other applicable law.

Hours before the commission’s advice to Parliament on Thursday, the People’s National Party (PNP) called a press conference in which Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who described the issue as  a “dark day for our country”, called for Holness to take a leave of absence until the matter is resolved.

He noted that a referral of the prime minister for possible prosecution was unprecedented in the history of Jamaica.

“Never before has our head of Government, the prime minister of the country, been referred to a prosecutorial authority for corruption-related allegations arising out of his conduct in public office,” Golding said.

Golding said the crux of the issue is the alleged conflict of interest concerning the prime minister’s close association with Westcon Construction Limited.

It is somebody he is closely associated with; it is somebody who worked for the minister’s constituency, and somebody he has known a long time, Golding said.

“That is a situation that I would recommend all MPs to avoid because obviously it smacks of nepotism, favouritism, cronyism, and it conjures in the mind of the public that politicians are just there to pleasure themselves with their friends,” he said.

Golding stressed that the matter undermines Jamaica’s image in the international community and among key development partners and is “a major embarrassment for the Jamaican people”.

He said the referral of the prime minister for prosecution by the country’s principal anti-corruption institution raised serious questions about integrity and credibility.

“The prime minister’s response so far is to deny any wrongdoing. However, that misses the point. The national institution with responsibility for anti-corruption efforts has extensively investigated that matter. They have issued a detailed report of over 100 pages and they have referred the prime minister for possible prosecution,” Golding said.

Even before the press conference ended, the JLP came out in full support of their leader in a strongly worded press release touting Holness’s integrity and his leadership in the country’s anti-corruption fight.

The party said that after reviewing the Integrity Commission report, it “rejects attempts to sully the good name and reputation of the prime minister and JLP leader with unfounded and misguided accusations stemming from standard practices 16 years ago”.

It noted that the prime minister had not been accused of materially benefiting from any contract and neither was he exercising any undue influence on any contract.

“The JLP recognises Prime Minister Andrew Holness as a leader of integrity who has contributed selflessly to the development of Jamaica since his election as a Member of Parliament in 1998. This prime minister has led the most significant transformation of Jamaica’s anti-corruption framework and stands above all his predecessors in leading his Government and the country towards accountability, probity and transparency. The most significant steps in the anti-corruption fight in Jamaica have been led by Prime Minister Holness,” the release said.

The release further noted that the party finds it curious that an entity seeks, without any corroborating evidence, to conflate lack of reporting by agencies with Holness, the then MP and then “further makes a grand leap” to claim a conflict of interest.

“It is a known fact that since the 90s all MPs are from time to time are asked to recommend contractors to execute seasonal work in their constituencies. The party also recognises that this current issue is a residue of a brazen and personal attack on the prime minister’s integrity concerning his house. This attack was fomented and promoted by the PNP in the 2016 election cycle,” it said.

The JLP said it finds the origin of the issue as purely political, unfounded and misguided, and also finds the accusation without merit, and demanded that “it should be dismissed forthwith”.

“Nonetheless, the party expects the prosecutorial authorities to act with alacrity in settling this matter. The JLP maintains its high standards of accountability and probity and will continue to encourage and promote the work of the Andrew Holness-led Administration in transforming Jamaica into a stronger nation,” the release said.

Holness, in a release issued on Wednesday, had himself also rejected allegations which he said were based on mere association.

“I strongly reject any suggestion or insinuation of wrongdoing and I will do all in my power to ensure that the truth is known,” Holness said.