GG asked to select IC chairman without political leanings
Published:Tuesday | February 18, 2025 | 12:10 AM
With Justice (Ret’d) Seymour Panton to demit office as chairman of the Integrity Commission (IC) in a week, eyes are on Justice (Ret’d) Lloyd Hibbert, who could be named interim chairman.
Hibbert would only be elevated to the chairmanship of the IC if Governor General (GG) Sir Patrick Allen, who returned to the job last Monday after undergoing surgery recently, does not appoint a new chairman by next Wednesday.
At the same time, the tenure of Eric Crawford, another commissioner, is set to expire on February 28.
And as Sir Patrick contemplates his next move in appointing a new chairman of the IC, Opposition Leader Mark Golding is urging the head of state to choose someone who is devoid of partisan connections.
The governor general has the task of appointing four of the five IC commissioners after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, according to the Integrity Commission Act. At least one leading legal scholar said the governor general is not obliged to follow what either leader said. The auditor general is the only commissioner who is not appointed to sit on the IC but whose post is designated by law.
“I say to our governor general, ‘[Your] Excellency, do the right thing’. We know some vacancies are coming up, mek sure that no political hacks, no strongly politically affiliated [people] are appointed commissioners of the Integrity Commission because that institution needs to be protected,” Golding said on Sunday at a political rally in St Andrew West Central, the constituency of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.
Golding stressed that the governor general should appoint persons who are reputable, competent and independent, “who have no axe to grind other than to get to the truth and to uphold the institution and to try and rid Jamaica of the scourge of corruption”.
In recent times, there have been increased tensions between some senior government lawmakers and the IC over investigative reports that have been tabled in Parliament.
The leadership of the IC has held its ground arguing that it is only carrying out its duties under the very law passed by the parliamentarians.
Apart from the two commissioners, whose tenures end this month, the five-year term of Greg Christie, the executive director, comes to an end in May 2025. The terms of three other directors will expire by the latest July this year. They are Keisha Prince Kameka, director of corruption prosecution; Kevon Stephenson, the director of investigation and Craig Beresford, the director of information and complaints.
The four directors are eligible for reappointment.