ST ANN, Jamaica — Though still facing fraud and corruption charges, Kim Brown-Lawrence says she has no doubt that she will be able to hold onto the Brown’s Town Division in St Ann for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

She has been under investigation by the Integrity Commission (IC) since 2019 due to her involvement in the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) fraud probe. It is alleged that she received and used CMU funds to fix roads in her constituency. She was arrested and charged in October 2019, during an early morning raid of her house.

At the nomination centre on Thursday, Brown-Lawrence insisted that the charges were trumped up.

“I’ve not been convicted, I don’t follow propaganda, there is no need to follow propaganda. Just follow my page instead of the news, it’s all propaganda. They see a champion and they are trying to fight me down but my Brown’s Town people love me and I’m standing by them,” she said.

Brown-Lawrence has been the councillor for one term, having defeated the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Delroy Redway in 2016. This time around she will face off against the PNP’s Charles Clarke.

“For a seat that has been controlled by the PNP for 36 years I’ve only been in for one term and I’ve shown them that work was supposed to be done all along. I’m the champion!” she boasted on Thursday.

However Clarke believes her performance has been lacking and this has opened the door for him. He is not a stranger to politics, having successfully contested the Gibraltar Division in 2012. However in 2016 he was ousted by the JLP’s Cardell Wickham.

He is firm in his belief that his history in Gibraltar will not determine his future in Brown’s Town.

“The Browns Town Division is different from Gibraltar; Brown’s Town has people who are thinking forward and want a better community. They have asked me to come and help to build the community,” said Clarke

“The people are dissatisfied with a lot of things. There is no representation in the division and the constituency. I’m here to bring back the things that we need to develop the community and, overall, the division,” he added.