The directors of a real estate company connected to Prime Minister Andrew Holness have refuted claims in an Integrity Commission (IC) report that a Beverly Hills residential development undertaken by the entity was constructed contrary to the terms of the building permit.

The investigation report from the IC was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

According to the IC, the development consists of 4 four-bedroom townhouses instead of 4 two-bedroom townhouses, as approved by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC). It also accused the KSAMC of being negligent in its oversight of the building project, with the commission suggesting that the KSAMC lied when its officers claimed the building permit was being complied with.

READ: Company connected to Holness accused of deliberate building breach by Integrity Commission

However, in a statement following the tabling of the report, the directors of Estatebridge Holdings Limited said they “categorically reject the finding of the Integrity Commission’s report that the development in question consisted of four bedrooms instead of two.”

According to the directors, “at no time” did the KSAMC, which they said made several inspections of the development, observe a breach.

“From the most recent inspection it was confirmed by the KSAMC that the units consisted of two bedrooms. Variations in size of areas, and reconfiguration of layout, which normally occur during construction and does not materially change the building footprint, were noted and the necessary application is in process,” the directors of Estatebridge Holdings said.

“For context the development is still under construction. At the time of both unannounced visits of the Integrity Commission, they observed significant work being done to correct plumbing and other issues which involved the digging of walls and slabs to identify and reroute pipes. No valid conclusion could be drawn regarding rooms without observing final structural walls and the installation of doors and other amenities,” the directors argued.

Among those named in the 63-page report is the prime minister’s real estate business partner Norman Brown, a director of Estatebridge who is also chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and former head of the Housing Agency of Jamaica.

The Estatebridge Holdings directors suggested that the timing of the submission of the IC report to Parliament was deliberate as, they said, it coincides with Brown’s application for judicial review in the Supreme Court to challenge adverse comments and findings concerning himself and Estatebridge in another report of the IC.

“This as yet another attempt to damage the reputation of the principals of the company, relying on hearsay, misrepresentation of facts, and spurious conclusions. The principals are law abiding citizens who give yeoman service to Jamaica and will not be deterred by baseless allegations and bureaucratic overreach of an organisation that is not the competent authority,” the directors said.