Jamaica’s anti-corruption commission has raised concerns about “significant” conflicts of interest regarding Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s and Norman Brown’s private real estate transactions and Brown’s chairmanship of two governmental organizations involved in the industry.
Along with Holness’ family, Brown has an interest in Estatebridge Development Company. Brown heads the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), two organizations that are within Holness’s ministerial purview. The two organizations oversee state assets valued at billions of dollars.
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The Integrity Commission’s director of investigations, Kevon Stephenson, stated, “The similarity in the functions of HAJ and UDC, and the relationship between Holness and Brown pose significant conflict of interest concerns.”
He indicated, “If this potential conflict of interest is not managed appropriately, it may be deleterious to the public interest.”
Stephenson noted: “Notwithstanding the foregoing, no direct evidence was presented to suggest that there has been any impropriety occasioned by the referenced potential conflict of interest.”
The comments are included in the 171-page report that the commission produced after looking at Holness’s asset and income declarations from 2019 to 2022.
It stated that because the prime minister “refused” to share information on his spending, the panel was unable to decide whether Holness should be prosecuted for unlawful gain.
Moreover, there are still unresolved questions about transactions over $473 million that include companies connected to Holness.
According to the commission, Holness’ sister and one of his sons are listed as directors and shareholders of Estatebridge Development Company, a crucial component of the probe, in addition to Brown.
The panel emphasized that Brown’s multiple jobs in government and Estatebridge are problematic because both HAJ and UDC are interested in real estate, particularly because Holness is the minister overseeing the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.
In addition to serving as HAJ chairman since 2016, Brown was named UDC chairman in 2024.
In addition, Pembrooke Trucking, a St. James-based business engaged in cement distribution, real estate development, and transportation, is owned by Brown.
The investigation also disclosed that Holness’s business, Imperium Investments Holdings Limited, had previously held the majority of Estatebridge’s shares.
Holness signed the accounts upon Estatebridge’s incorporation in July 2020 and did so at one point in time as the company’s CEO.
Even with its diminished ownership stake, Imperium continued to make significant financial contributions, notably through a $15 million asset held by Admat Incorporated, a St. Lucia-registered business that Holness liquidated in 2021.
$130 million worth of its assets were moved to Imperium.
Brown paid Imperium $6 million back in September 2020 for the preliminary work done on the St Andrew site known as Weycliffe Close. Estatebridge has an agreement to develop the property.
By October 2022, Brown had acquired more shares from Estatebridge while Imperium had forfeited its remaining shares.
A month later, Holness was taken off the accounts as a signatory after the Integrity Commission emphasized the dangers of Holness and Brown’s conflicting official and private positions.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) rules for handling conflicts of interest were referenced in the study.
The OECD states that a conflict of interest occurs “when a public official’s private capacity interest could improperly influence the performance of their official duties.”
The Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act of Jamaica, which requires public servants to declare any personal interest in subjects that potentially influence their decision-making, was also mentioned in the study.
Although he has not yet offered specifics, Holness has contested several of the commission’s report’s conclusions, arguing that there were “errors”.
His administration is now under scrutiny due to the inquiry, and there may be more inquiries into Estatebridge’s financial activities.
As the primary investigating body for financial crimes in the nation, the Financial Investigations Division has received the report from the commission.
A copy of the investigation report should be sent to the Parliament’s Ethics Committee, per the Director of Investigations’ recommendation, so they can assess whether it is appropriate for a minister to appoint a business associate or someone with personal connections to a public board that falls under the committee’s jurisdiction.
In addition, he suggested that the committee investigate whether enough measures are in place to fully address any potential conflict of interest that might result from the minister’s and the board appointee’s personal or professional relationship, with the ultimate goal of defending the public interest.
