PNP says Bell’s failure to recuse himself breached good governance standards

The People’s National Party (PNP) has accepted the Integrity Commission’s finding that Councillor Ian Bell breached conflict-of-interest and good-governance standards by failing to recuse himself from deliberations involving his wife’s application for space at the Ocho Rios Transportation Centre in St Ann.

The commission’s director of investigations, Kevon Stephenson, has recommended that St Ann Municipal Corporation Chairman Michael Belnavis formally reprimand Bell for failing to withdraw from the Commercial Services Committee’s consideration of an application submitted by his wife, Shirlyn Campbell-Bell.

Stephenson also suggested that Belnavis consider whether the seriousness of the breach, given the personal nature of the interest involved and Bell’s admitted knowledge of the proper procedure, warrants referral for further disciplinary review under the corporation’s applicable governance or disciplinary framework.

The findings are contained in a report into allegations of conflict of interest and procedural irregularities surrounding the leasing of space at the transportation centre and the construction of a commercial building to house Campbell-Bell’s gaming lounge. The report was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The investigation was triggered by an anonymous complaint.

In a statement, the PNP said it accepted the commission’s findings, describing the matter as a breach of good governance.

The party acknowledged that Bell, despite declaring that the applicant was his wife, “should have recused himself and ought not to have been in attendance”.

The PNP said it had long maintained that elected and non-elected officials must declare personal interests and remove themselves from consideration of matters in which a real or perceived conflict of interest could arise.

The breach cited by Stephenson is also set out in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development Councillor’s Handbook, which speaks to conflicts of interest and the principles of good governance, transparency, accountability and integrity expected of elected officials.

Section 4.2.9 of the Staff Orders for the Public Service, 2004, states that “a conflict of interest may be deemed to exist” when a person uses “information and/or any material gained from official position for private gain” or exploits “the status and privilege of one’s position for private gain”.

The commission found that Campbell-Bell’s application, submitted in March 2023, had not gone through the corporation’s established registry process. Instead, it was delivered to the corporation by Bell.

In a June 18, 2025 statement to the commission, Campbell-Bell said she had prepared the application “with the help of my husband” and had asked him to drop it off for her.

Bell told the commission during a judicial hearing on October 22, 2024, that he had declared during the relevant meeting that Campbell-Bell was his wife.

However, when asked whether he had withdrawn from the meeting at which her application was considered, Bell said: “I don’t remember, honestly… but I am sure that the chairman did not ask me to recuse myself and I did not offer to the chairman, because the chairman’s responsibility is to chair the meeting in the appropriate way according to the by-laws”.

He added: “But what I can attest to the fact is that from I said, ‘Yes, it is my wife’, I said nothing further in that meeting”.

PROCEDURAL IRREGULARITIES

The commission nevertheless concluded that Bell breached conflict-of-interest and good-governance standards by failing to withdraw from meetings at which his wife’s application was considered.

The investigation also uncovered several procedural irregularities involving the business.

The commission found that Campbell-Bell constructed and operated the commercial building without the required building and planning permits, in breach of the Building Act, 2018.

It also found that no lease or rental agreement had been formalised between Campbell-Bell and the St Ann Municipal Corporation and that no user fees had been collected from the business since it began operating in 2023.

Stephenson recommended that the corporation take the necessary steps to assess, calculate and recover all outstanding fees due and payable in relation to the operation of the gaming lounge, which began operating at the centre “about the 3rd or 4th of May 2023”.

The commission further found that approval letters had been issued before the full process was completed and that the application had not been referred to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development for the minister’s approval.

The PNP noted that the Integrity Commission had made no referral for criminal prosecution, but said this did not diminish the seriousness of the governance breach.

It also acknowledged Bell’s years of service as an elected local government representative, but said his record did not excuse the conduct identified in the report.

“That record does not excuse what happened, and the lesson is one which ought to guide every elected representative who may face a conflict of interest in the course of their duties,” the party said.

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