The Opposition People’s National Party has called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to resign following Tuesday’s tabling of the Integrity Commission’s investigative report into his financial affairs, the revelations of which the PNP has described as disturbing and appalling.

In a release on Wednesday, the PNP said the report, which spans 171 pages, “details a series of troubling findings that call into question the prime minister’s integrity and suitability for office.

“We are currently reviewing the full report with our legal team and officers to ensure that we fully understand the implications of this investigation. After carefully analysing the details, we will address the Jamaican people more substantially and comprehensively,” the PNP said.

The party said, based on its initial review, there are a number of key points which it wishes to make including, in the party’s estimation, that Holness “deliberately misled the country and Parliament”.

The PNP noted that on August 22, 2023, the prime minister stated, “I have asked as far and as wide, and I haven’t got that response from everyone, but as far as I have been told no. I have not heard of anyone in my political party being written to for this matter of illicit enrichment.”

Accusing the prime minister of misleading the country with that statement, the PNP said: “Mr Holness was written to by the Integrity Commission on May 5, 2023, informing him that he was under investigation for illicit enrichment.

“Furthermore, even as his own Members of Parliament attacked the Integrity Commission, Mr Holness addressed Parliament on June 13, 2023, failing to disclose that he was under active investigation. He deliberately withheld the truth from both Parliament and the Jamaican people,” the PNP said.

In reference to the referral of Holness to the Financial Investigations Division (FID), the PNP said: “The recommendation that various opaque and questionable financial transactions involving Mr Holness and his private companies be referred to the FID for further investigation suggests this is far from over. The FID is a law enforcement body that investigates financial crimes, and this referral could unearth even more damaging information as investigations continue.”

READ: Integrity Commission wants FID, TAJ to probe aspects of PM’s financial affairs

According to the PNP, the report also points to serious tax irregularities on the part of Holness’s companies and recommends that these issues be referred to the Commissioner General of Tax Administration Jamaica.

“This further compounds the untenable situation that faces the prime minister,” the Opposition party said.

It further noted that the prime minister’s statutory declarations for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, and 2023) are yet to be certified by the Integrity Commission.

“Certification will not occur until the financial investigations are concluded. This failure to certify the prime minister’s financial declarations adds another layer of doubt regarding his transparency and financial conduct,” the PNP said.

According to the PNP, the country now finds itself in an unprecedented crisis of confidence in the prime minister’s leadership.

“Jamaica now finds itself in an unprecedented situation where its head of government is embroiled in a prolonged and unresolved integrity investigation. The state apparatus is investigating its own prime minister,” the release stated.

“Despite his reassurances in Parliament, Mr Holness is clearly distracted by the fight to clear his name. This battle, being waged from the highest office in the land, is undermining our democratic system and eroding public confidence in the government,” it added.

Against this background, it called on the prime minister to leave office immediately.

“The Office of the Prime Minister must be a beacon of integrity, not a place to shield oneself from scrutiny. Mr Holness’s ongoing rearguard action to remain in power under a cloud of suspicion is unacceptable. We call on him to do the right thing and step down immediately. His continued presence in office is a disservice to the Jamaican people and our democratic system,” the release stated.

“The prime minister must act in the best interest of the nation and leave office to preserve the dignity of Jamaica’s democracy,” it added.