PNP councillor Keisha Lewis says she's addressing statutory declaration issue

People’s National Party (PNP) councillor Keisha Lewis says she is currently in the process of addressing issues related to her statutory declarations.

In a statement on Wednesday, Lewis, councillor for the Lauriston division in the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, said she is committed to upholding the principles of transparency and accountability.

"I am committed to always demonstrating these values in my role as an elected representative of the people."

In a report to Parliament on Tuesday, the Director of Corruption Prosecution at the Integrity Commission ruled that charges be laid against Lewis for failing to file statutory declarations for three separate periods.

Lewis failed to account for her financials in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

The report was accompanied by an indicative ruling that she be charged for breaching section 43(1)a of the Integrity Commission Act.

The ruling follows a finding by Director of Investigation Kevon Stephenson at the commission that Lewis failed without reasonable cause to file the statutory declarations.

Lewis was served a notice to discharge liability on September 14, 2023, the report said, and given 21 days to pay a fixed penalty of $250,000 to Tax Administration Jamaica and submit the outstanding declarations.

However, the councillor reportedly submitted the outstanding financials on October 4, 2023 but failed to pay the penalty for the respective years, which totalled $750,000.

Stephenson referred the matter to the director of corruption prosecution.

"I wish to clarify that they [declarations] were not initially filed on time, but were subsequently filed and certified within the timeframe provided to me by the Integrity Commission (IC). However, a penalty was fixed due to the initial delay. I had believed that filing within the timeframe specified by the IC’s officer would resolve the matter without adverse action, including the penalty. Notably, I did not receive any further communication from the IC with regard to the penalty, which contributed to the current situation. I am currently in the process of addressing this matter," said Lewis in her statement.

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