Fitz-Henley wants the finding of the PNP campaign finance investigation to be made public

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley says it would be good if the findings of an eight-year anti-corruption investigation into the multibillion-dollar campaign finance charge that had rocked the opposition National People’s Party ( PNP) be advertised.

The scandal broke in 2016 and saw at least five senior members of the PNP accused by a former member of the party executive of pocketing millions of dollars that had been earmarked for party coffers.

Fitz-Henley made the call during his contribution to the Senate debate on Friday on an order that will expand the scope of the offenses Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Agency (MOCA) is able to investigate.

He was responding to opposition senator Lambert Brown who had argued that the MOCA order put an unnecessary focus on “minor offences”, including those affecting the fishing sector.

“MOCA should focus more not on the simple crime that the 14,000 police should tackle but on the criminal connection with corruption and for example what I would like us to say to MOCA is to help us develop an approach. to unexplained wealth so we can put unexplained wealth into our laws. I want MOCA to investigate illicit enrichment,” the senator said Brown in the Upper House.

Fitz-Henley, in his contribution to the debate, argued that the amendment to the range of offenses that MOCA can investigate is not inconsequential as legitimate participants in the fishing industry, which contributed $30 billion to the gross domestic product of the country last year, they require a level playing field.

The government senator said he is confident MOCA generally investigates a range of alleged crimes, including illicit enrichment.

According to Fitz-Henley, the campaign finance scandal that became public when then PNP treasurer Norman Horne moved to explain the party’s loss in the 2016 general election and accused senior PNP officials of stealing millions of dollars in campaign contributions from private sector entities, is fit for a MOCA probe.

“Senator Brown is talking about an alleged major crime in politics and asked MOCA to lead to certain investigations. I believe that this matter in which the media reported that the then PNP treasurer accused members of high party level of stealing millions of US dollars in campaign funds is ripe for a MOCA investigation.In fact, the then Office of the General Contractor had announced an investigation.That office has since joined the the Integrity Commission. I think that after eight years of investigation it would be good if due process was observed and the conclusions were presented to Parliament.” Fitz-Henley said.