Holness seeks update on FID probe
Calls to rein in open-ended probes with reputations, careers on the line
Published:Sunday | February 1, 2026 | 12:10 AMLivern Barrett - Senior Staff Reporter
Lawmakers should consider amending the laws governing public bodies with investigative powers by including provisions to protect citizens from reputational damage, legal experts have suggested.
The suggestion comes amid confirmation by The Sunday Gleaner that attorneys for Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness requested an “update” from the Financial Investigations Division (FID) about its probe that is related to his still-uncertified statutory declarations.
The probe by the FID began in late 2024 after a request from the Integrity Commission (IC) for a deeper look into Holness’ financial affairs based on concerns that were flagged in an investigation report by the IC, which was submitted to Parliament in September that year.
The IC is Jamaica’s main anti-corruption body.
“Almost a year has elapsed since the reference of this report to your office and therefore, in the circumstances, I request that your office provide an update to my client and the Integrity Commission ... ,” the prime minister’s attorneys wrote in the August 2025 letter to head of the FID, Dennis Chung.
The FID confirmed to The Sunday Gleaner that it received correspondence from attorneys representing Holness “enquiring about any investigation relating to their client”.
“A written response was provided directing them to seek the relevant information from the Integrity Commission, as any investigative matters concerning their client rest with that body,” the FID said in an emailed response on Thursday.
The IC has not yet responded to questions that were submitted by The Sunday Gleaner on Friday.
Jamaican authorities vested with investigative powers are not “obliged” to provide a citizen with an update on their investigation unless stipulated in their respective legislation, says King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie, a top criminal defence attorney.
Champagnie believes this could be a fillip for lawmakers to take a fresh look at the legal framework for public bodies with investigative powers.
“They may want to revisit the legislation to say that there ought to be provisions there to avoid any reputational harm … because I can see how somebody would be prejudiced,” he suggested.
“Let us say someone is awaiting promotion or elevation to another office and this is what is preventing them from being elevated, then you are prejudiced. So it can’t be a situation where, indefinitely, there is an investigation which is likely to prejudice you in terms of reputational harm.”
The attorney cited, as an example, a provision inbuilt in the revised Bail Act, enacted in 2023, which allows for a suspect to be released on bail while the police continue their investigation of a possible crime.
Under the law, suspects can be released for an initial period, which may be extended, or they must be released unconditionally if a charge is not laid within six months or an extended period.
“It has a sunset clause [so] you can’t be on pre-charge bail indefinitely,” Champagnie noted.
The FID gave no indication on Friday whether its investigation into Holness’ financial affairs has been completed.
“The FID can offer no further comment beyond what was shared in the previous response,” the agency said via email.
Another senior attorney, who did not want to be named, suggested that a “bigger and broader and wider transparent communication policy” be instituted across law enforcement and other public entities vested with the power to conduct an investigation.
This, the attorney suggested, should allow for “periodic, non-threatening communication” to take place.
“Even if it is a simple statement saying ‘there is an investigation on, it has some ways to go, progress is being made or not being made, as the case may be. All we get now is a stony silence,” said the attorney.