KINGSTON, Jamaica— Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck has questioned why the Integrity Commission (IC) named Prime Minister Andrew Holness in its latest investigation report, when he was not connected to the company Estatebridge, having divested himself of his shares in the business.

Chuck, who was appearing Tuesday before the Parliament’s Integrity Commission Oversight Committee, suggested that Holness was being unfairly targeted by the anti-corruption watchdog.

In an investigation report made public on December 10 last year, the IC accused Estatebridge of deliberate building breaches in relation to a residential development it has undertaken at 2 Weycliffe Close, Beverly Hills, Kingston 6.

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

The development, according to the IC, was constructed contrary to the terms of the building permit issued to Estatebridge Holdings Limited, a real estate company it said was connected to Holness.

However, the prime minister responded immediately, pointing out that he was not connected to Estatebridge, a company in which his son Adam is a director.  The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation has since said the building breach has been regularised.

Chuck is convinced Holness is being targeted.

“In relation to the investigation of alleged irregularities at 2 Weycliffe Close, Beverley Hills …this is the third report in which the prime minister of Jamaica was named in these reports. In none of these three reports has it been demonstrated that there’s any act of corruption, any wrongdoing, even though [in] the second one, of 171 pages, a number of speculative transactions were outlined,” Chuck remarked.

Regarding the December 10 report, Chuck noted that the prime minister is not involved in the named company yet his name is called even though he had divested himself of his shares.

“It worries me as a member of the oversight committee that when you go about sending reports to Parliament there’s no indication that the member on which you’re reporting is implicated in any way. Why are you doing it?” said Chuck.

Meanwhile, the justice minister wants the forensic audit that was reportedly done on Holness’ finances as stated by the IC following its illicit enrichment probe of the prime minister, to be made available to the oversight committee.

“If a forensic report was done which is available to the Integrity Commission, which found nothing, at the very minimum, we should not only have a copy of it but we should also ask what was the cost to the commission,” said Chuck.

He stressed that he wants the IC to succeed and for corruption to be removed from the country.

“But I’m a little concerned that we’re not getting reports that reduce the perception of corruption, we’re getting reports that seem to highlight and expand and increase the perception of corruption,” Chuck said.