The legal team of Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness will be advancing the appeal regarding the matter involving the Integrity Commission, IC.

This comes after Supreme Court judge Justice Althea Jarrett issued a ruling on Thursday, concerning applications made on behalf of Dr. Holness relating to the lawsuit filed against the IC.

The suit pertains to investigations by the IC into Dr.. Holness’ statutory declarations.

In a statement last night, Dr. Holness’ attorneys said the court granted the claimants’ application to order the IC to provide documents prepared by three investigators, which are relevant to the investigation. 

it said in this regard, the court has ordered the IC to search for and disclose those documents, if they exist.

The team said the claimants had sought disclosure of certain documents that had been redacted in the defendants’ earlier disclosures, as well as the forensic report and other material not previously disclosed.

It added that in response to a previous written request for disclosure and the subsequent application, prior to the ruling, the IC and the other defendants disclosed the majority of documents requested, including the forensic report and some of the previously redacted material in unredacted form. 

It said as a result, the court did not find it necessary to make an order in relation to those documents.

The team said the defendants also applied to strike out portions of the claimants’ amended fixed date claim form. 

The court granted their application to strike out the words ‘purported’ as well as ‘and/or third defendant’. 

According to the attorneys, these minor adjustments have no effect on the substance of the claim and are inconsequential when compared with the disclosures that the Integrity Commission and the other defendants made, or were ordered to make.

They said the court refused an application by the claimant for disclosure of further unredacted documents beyond those already provided. 

The lawyers added that the court also denied the claimants application to strike out aspects of the defendant’s affidavit, based on them being irrelevant and an abuse of process, because they deal with declarations already certified up to 2020.

The attorneys said given the critical importance of the disclosure issues to the overall fairness of the proceedings, the claimants sought and obtained leave to appeal the court’s decision.

They said the court granted leave on the basis that appellate guidance on the correct approach to disclosure in judicial review proceedings would be beneficial to the jurisprudence. 

The court also ordered a stay of the proceedings, pending the outcome of the appeal.

The Prime Minister’s legal team said it will now proceed to prepare and file the necessary documents to advance the appeal.