JAMAICA | Panton Rebuffs Montague, Golding demands review by Parliamentary Counsel

KINGSTON, Jamaica November 4, 2021 - The Opposition PNP says it will not be  quieted by the claims of Transport and Mining Minister Robert Montague that he could not respond to parliamentary questions about the Airports Authority of Jamaica's (AAJ) multimillion-dollar investment in First Rock Holdings which breached the Government's guidelines.

Last Tuesday, Montague told Parliamentarians that he could not respond to questions from the Opposition because, “The subject matter of the question is being reviewed by the Integrity Commission, which is a commission of Parliament.”

He was however rebuffed by the Chairman of the Integrity Commission,  retired Justice Seymour Panton, who, while not confirming or denying that a probe is under way, said there was no way Montague would be in possession of this information.

“The Integrity Commission wishes to remind the public that Section 53 (3) of the Integrity Commission Act forbids “the commission or any other person” from making a report or public statement in relation to the initiation or conduct of an investigation until the tabling in Parliament of a report, Panton said.

“This means that neither the commission nor any other person can publicly confirm or deny the initiation or conduct of an investigation until a report has been tabled in Parliament. The term 'any other person' applies to and includes parliamentarians,” said Panton as he noted that, “No such report has been tabled.”

Opposition spokesman on transport Mikael Phillips had tabled 21 questions for Montague to answer in 21 days.

Among the answers being sought by Phillips are whether any board member held directorship or was a shareholder in First Rock and whether those details had been declared.

Phillips also wants to know why the recommendation not to invest taxpayers' money in the St Lucia-registered start-up company that began operations in March 2019 was not heeded.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding was not a happy man when he got up to speak on the matter in Parliament last Tuesday.

This matter is not before the court. The Standing Orders (the rules of Parliament) ensure Ministers are required to answer these important questions. Why is Minister Montague hiding from facing this situation? #AccountabilityNeeded pic.twitter.com/aBYv0383om

— Mark J. Golding (@MarkJGolding) November 4, 2021