Woman fined $500,000 for X posts referencing Integrity Commission
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A social media user has been fined $500,000 to be paid within 10 days, or face 21 days imprisonment, after the Supreme Court upheld a contempt of court order brought against her by the Integrity Commission.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Integrity Commission in the application brought against Julie Malcolm, determining that Malcolm had violated a 2023 order which required Malcolm and her “servants or agents” to remove all posts from Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and other social media platforms relating to the commission and allegations of corruption.
The order also restricted Malcolm (and any servants or agents) from uploading, publishing, or otherwise communicating the subject posts, or any words of the same or similar content, on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media platform.
However, the woman reportedly “continuously published defamatory statements on various social media platforms about the commission.”
The commission cited over 10 posts made by Malcolm on X (formerly Twitter) over January and February 2025 as evidence in the case.
The Integrity Commission said in a statement on Tuesday that the continued non-compliance with the order resulted in a warning, followed by a notice of application for contempt of court on February 18, 2025.
The Integrity Commission sought several remedies against Malcolm, including a formal declaration of contempt, an acknowledgement of the breach, committal to prison, legal costs, and any further relief deemed appropriate by the court.
“The commission welcomes the court’s ruling, which reinforces the significance of upholding compliance with court directives. This ruling underscores the court’s firm stance on enforcing compliance with its directives and the serious consequences of defiance,” the commission said.