KINGSTON, Jamaica, Feb 4, CMC- The Integrity Commission Tuesday welcomed the decision by the business partner of Prime Minister Andrew Holness to withdraw a matter he had brought against the Commission.
On January 14, the Supreme Court granted Norman Brown permission to apply for judicial review against the decision of the Integrity Commission’s Director of Investigation in the “Investigation Report into the Statutory Declarations Submitted by Prime Minister Holness for the years 2019-2022.
Under the rules of court, Brown had 14 days within which to file a claim for judicial review in accordance with the permission given to him by the court.
But he failed to do so and the period for him to file the claim expired on January 29, this year. His attorneys formally indicated to the Supreme Court that he does not intend to pursue the claim.
“While the Commission believes it would have been ultimately successful if Mr Brown had brought a claim against it, it welcomes his decision which will avoid the Commission incurring costs and expending resources to defend the claim,” the Commission said in a statement.
Earlier, the Commission had successfully opposed Brown’s application for permission to bring a judicial review claim against expressions in the Investigation Report of conflict-of-interest concerns in respect of his personal/business relationship with Prime Minister Holness.
The Commission had also successfully opposed that part of Brown’s application for various declarations and a mandatory injunction to compel the Commission to amend the Investigation Report to remove all adverse findings made in relation to him.
Brown had sought judicial review of sections of an Integrity Commission report that questioned his company’s tax compliance and potential conflicts of interest arising from his chairmanship of two state agencies – the Urban Development Corporation and the Housing Agency of Jamaica – that report to Prime Minister Holness.
While the court allowed him to challenge the tax-related findings, it rejected his bid to contest the report’s comments on potential conflicts of interest. The report suggested that the similarities between the two state agencies that Brown chairs and his relationship with the prime minister “pose significant conflict of interest concerns”.
Brown’s legal challenge stemmed from the IC’s report on Prime Minister Holness’ finances, particularly focusing on the tax filings of Estatebridge Development Limited, a company in which Brown is a shareholder. The report raised concerns about Estatebridge’s interest income in 2021 and its nil tax returns, which were referred to Tax Administration Jamaica.
CMC/ag/ir/2025