JAMAICA | Jamaican Public Misled over the Kamina Johnson Smith - Finn Partner PR Contract says Scott Mottley

KINGSTON, Jamaica: August 10, 2022 - Opposition Spokesperson on Justice and Information, Senator Donna Scott Mottley says Information Minister Robert Morgan misled the Jamaican people, when he described the Finn Partners PR contract for the Commonwealth Secretary General Campaign as a “private transaction between Jamaican companies and a US company”.

In a statement today, Senator Scott Mottley said she has had disclosure of the contract from an eleven-page US Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filing done by Finn Partners on June 1, 2022 (and a subsequent amendment filed June 6) for the contract which began on April 22, 2022 with equal payments of US$33,000 at the start of work, May 1, 2022 and June 1, 2022.

Senator Scott said the FARA disclosure lists Senator Kamina Johnson Smith as the “Foreign Principal” with her address being 2 Port Royal Street, Kingston, Jamaica, which is same as Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. “No where in the FARA filing does it mention any Jamaican private sector company as claimed by Minister Morgan, who speaks for the cabinet of Jamaica”, she said.

The Opposition Spokesperson said Minister Morgan’s public statement exposes Jamaica to direct conflict with the United States foreign agent registration system as it is now clear the contract is not between private parties but the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica. The filing also states that the business of the foreign principal is “Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica”.

Senator Scott Mottley noted that in the filing, there are a number of references to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica and is questioning why was it necessary to refer to the Ministry if the contract was between private parties.

The Opposition Spokesperson said the Government should come clean with full disclosure of who paid US$99,000 for or on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Government of Jamaica, the payment dates and the purpose for which the payments were made. She said only full disclosure will satisfy the transparency test.

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