HATFIELD, Manchester — The Opposition People National Party (PNP) is calling for there to be a probe of the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) agreements with developers, following reports of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in a settlement between the entity and a developer.

PNP President Mark Golding and Opposition spokesman on finance and the public service Julian Robinson raised questions about the settlement during the party’s presentation of candidates in Manchester on Sunday.

Robinson, in addressing the PNP conference at Hatfield Primary School, called on the Integrity Commission to investigate the NHT’s agreements with developers.

“I want to know why is it that a company which had no experience in building houses gets a contract to build houses and can’t turn it over. Then why is it that, having been advanced the money to build the house, that there is a settlement — not with fi dem money, wid your money — and then dem seh dem nah guh tell you how it guh. Nutten cyah go suh,” he said.

“I am calling on the Integrity Commission to investigate these agreements, not just this one, but all the agreements that NHT has entered in with these companies to build houses and we can’t see one house yet,” added Robinson.

Golding, at the same time, accused the Jamaica Labour Party-led Government of having a “litany of scandals”, and questioned the use of NDAs by public bodies.

“[National] Housing Trust paid $650 million to that private developer to get 200 units, which the housing trust [was to] sell at $12.5 million. Not one house delivered to the housing trust; they had to sue the company. And when they sued the company they arrived at some settlement with a non-disclosure provision of confidentiality clause in it,” said Golding while pointing to previous NDAs signed by public bodies.

“Despite the fact that in 2019… they signed a similar agreement with somebody who they were paying off, [and] they said they would no longer have any more confidentiality clauses in situations like that, here they are doing it again under the watch of [Prime Minister] Andrew Holness as minister for the housing trust,” added Golding.

He promised that a PNP-led administration would prioritise the NHT for its main purpose of providing houses.

“The PNP is going to make sure that we restore the National Housing Trust for the best interest and the protection of the workers of this country and the contributors…That is the legacy of Michael Joshua Manley and we will not allow it to be subverted and destroyed,” said Golding.