THE People’s National Party (PNP) has scoffed at a report published by the Jamaica Observer that five of its members and three politicians linked to the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are being investigated for corruption/illicit enrichment.

“We want to make it unequivocally clear to the public that this reporting by the Jamaica Observer is entirely separate from the eight sitting Members of Parliament cited by the Integrity Commission for illicit enrichment. The allegations reported by the
Observer are not part of the ongoing investigation by the Integrity Commission (IC) into the eight sitting MPs accused of illicit enrichment.

“This is a blatant attempt by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and its media allies to confuse and mislead the public, thereby creating unnecessary confusion,” said PNP President Mark Golding in a mid-morning release on Tuesday.

According to Golding, the PNP firmly maintains its position that any parliamentarian — whether from its side or the JLP — who is implicated and found guilty of illicit enrichment or unexplained wealth should face the full force of the law.

“Such individuals should be dismissed from public office and barred from ever holding public office again. The PNP stands resolute in its commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance,” Golding said in the release.

He pointed to the information in the Observer’s story published Tuesday, headlined ‘Corruption nightmare’, which stated that in almost all of the cases, the allegations have been made to the IC by people who claim to have information surrounding acts of corruption/illicit enrichment, but there is no documentation to support these allegations.

“In other words, malicious stories may have been concocted and sent to the Integrity Commission for partisan political reasons, without any foundation whatsoever,” said Golding as he reiterated that he has directly consulted with all sitting representatives of the party in the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament.

“Following these discussions, every PNP parliamentarian and senator has confirmed that they are not aware of being investigated by the Integrity Commission for illicit enrichment,” added Golding.

He urged members of the public to, “remain vigilant and recognise this report for what it is — a deliberate distraction from the Integrity Commission’s investigation into the eight sitting MPs identified for illicit enrichment. Any suggestions made by the
Observer should not be conflated with the ongoing investigations by the Integrity Commission”.

Golding added: “This is a serious moment in Jamaica’s political history, and we urge all Jamaicans to rely on credible, verified information rather than allowing partisan media outlets to distort the truth.”

Editor’s Note: The Jamaica Observer stands by its story which was substantiated by documentary evidence.