Member of Parliament for South Central St. Catherine, Dr. Andrew Wheatley has indicated that he will be going to court to contest a determination by the Integrity Commission (IC) that he be charged in relation to allegations of illicit enrichment.

The report from the IC was tabled in Parliament yesterday.

The IC also said Dr. Wheatley should be charged for knowingly making a false statement in a statutory declaration and for failing, without reasonable cause, to provide information.

In a statement yesterday, Dr. Wheatley said he is in a position to provide supporting evidence that he lawfully acquired every dollar and every asset he owns and that he intends to defend his reputation.

Dr. Wheatley pointed out that it is odd, unreasonable and unfair that in arriving at a conclusion, the IC’s Director of Investigations (DI) did not to take into account approximately $168 million in rental income which was lawfully accumulated and declared over a nine-year period.

The MP said if the Director required further evidence that some money was lawful rental income the DI could have but did not request what further evidence he required.

He described the DI’s conclusions without evidence as being unreasonable and unfair especially as he was cooperating with the investigation.

He said the DI also failed to take into consideration the lawful and verifiable payment sources utilised in respect of the repayment of approximately $50 million in loans obtained from financial institutions in the pursuit of a real estate business.

This facilitated the DI’s arrival at the allegation of illicit enrichment of $164 million over the nine years.

Concerning an allegation that Dr. Wheatley was the recipient of six apartments, which were declared to the Commission as gifts, the MP said the DI is apparently not aware that, in the real estate industry, such a transaction is not an unusual commercial arrangement which developers may lawfully enter into.

Dr. Wheatley pointed out that the Commission’s investigation concerns activities prior to being elected to Parliament, as a developer and businessman, including the sale of former ownership of a medical complex.

The MP said there is no credible evidence to support the allegation that he acquired his earnings by unlawful means.