Three councillors from the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation have been recommended for charge, for failure to pay the fine for late submission of their statutory declarations. 

Two of the councillors are attached to the People’s National Party, PNP. 

They are Dwight Burke, who represents the Sligoville Division, and Vanrick Preddie, of the Hellshire Division. 

The third is Jamaica Labour Party member, Donovan Guy, who represents the Twickenham Park Division. 

The Integrity Commission submitted the investigation reports and rulings to parliament yesterday. 

It said the councillors failed to file their statutory declarations within the required time, between 3 and 6 years ago. 

The Commission noted that Burke’s failure relates to declarations for the period ending December 31, 2022.

While, Preddie’s failure relates to declarations for the periods ending December 31, in three years, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

And, for Guy, it’s in relation to declarations for the periods ending December 31, in the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The Commission’s Director of Investigations, DI noted that Burke, Preddie and Guy, by virtue of being public officials, are legally obligated to file statutory declarations. 

The DI concluded that the councillors failed to submit the requisite statutory declarations, by the due date, and that they provided no reasonable cause for this failure. 

The DI further noted that the 3 men were given an opportunity to discharge liability by paying the fixed penalty and submitting the outstanding statutory declarations. 

The first obligation of discharging liability to conviction of an offence is done by payment of a fixed penalty, in the amount of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars,  to Tax Administration of Jamaica.

The DI concluded that all 3 councillors only submitted the outstanding statutory declarations, therefore, they failed to discharge their liability consistent with section 43 of the Integrity Commission Act.

The DI then recommended that the 3 reports be referred to the Director of Corruption Prosecution, for consideration. 

In the indicative ruling, the Commission’s Director of Corruption Prosecution, noted that upon review of the 3 reports and, careful consideration, it was determined that all 3 councillors should be charged for breach of section 43 of the IC Act.