Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness will not face corruption charges in conflict of interest case

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A top prosecutor in Jamaica has ruled that Prime Minister Andrew Holness won’t face charges over possible conflict of interest in contracts awarded to a construction company in 2007-2009 while he was education minister.

Jamaica’s director of public corruption issued the ruling Thursday after reviewing a report on the case by the country’s Integrity Commission.

The commission investigated the case after a news report in 2016 raised questions about close ties between Holness and principals of a company hired for several roof repairs at schools and other projects.

JAMAICAN ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY INVESTIGATING THE COUNTRY’S PRIME MINISTER FOR POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness speaks at the U.N. headquarters on Sept. 22, 2022. A top prosecutor in Jamaica ruled on Feb. 16, 2023, that Holness will not face charges over possible conflict of interest. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

The panel found that Holness knew two directors and shareholders of the company for more than 20 years. The company had received 10 contracts totaling nearly $142,000, but only five of them were reported to the Office of the Contractor General as required, the report said.

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Holness, education minister from 2007 to 2012, said he never exercised influence on any process for the awarding of the contracts. Holness became prime minister following 2016 elections.