Golding says PNP probe clears officers in leaked NARA voice notes

Opposition leader Mark Golding said on Sunday that a People's National Party review of leaked voice notes allegedly discussing sabotage of the government's NARA mechanism found no link to official party structures.

Speaking at the party's National Executive Council meeting at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Golding said the PNP had withheld public comment until it had the facts. The review, he said, established three points: the recorded conversation did not occur in any official party forum; no party officer took part; and the PNP has no official NEC or executive WhatsApp group.

"This was a WhatsApp group formed by individuals within the party and the views expressed were their personal views," Golding said. "Those recordings do not represent the official position of the PNP or any policy of the PNP." Party policy, he added, is set by constitutional organs such as the NEC and the executive committee, and by authorised representatives.

The governing Jamaica Labour Party had accused the opposition of seeking to undermine Hurricane Melissa relief and projects under NARA. Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, chairman of the JLP's Communications Task Force, called Golding's roughly two-minute response "embarrassing and shameful," saying he failed to strongly condemn alleged delay tactics against NARA recovery works. Fitz-Henley said he was advised that the group comprises a majority of PNP executive members, including co-opted members, is named "executive members," and uses the PNP logo as its display photo — making Golding's account, he argued, "inaccurate and misleading."

Elsewhere, a 41-year-old Jamaican woman accused of a central role in a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme that allegedly secured more than US$32 million through false applications, fake documents and shell firms has been extradited to the United States after her capture in Jamaica. Authorities say she is the final defendant in a case that has already produced multiple convictions.

In Negril, Westmoreland, Boardwalk Resort and Boardwalk Plaza owner Richard Wallace said hoteliers are braced for the hurricane season and early rainfall, noting operators know when rain typically comes and that dry spells have previously strained water supply.

In Hanover, a woman was seriously hurt after a white Nissan Tiida crashed into two utility poles near the Jamaica Labour Party constituency office entrance on Hopewell Main Street on Saturday shortly after 11 a.m. The male driver, travelling from Orchard Main Road toward Hopewell Square, reportedly lost control; he suffered minor injuries and was warned for prosecution. Police again urged motorists to slow down after several fatal crashes in the parish this year.

Also over the weekend, Hopewell police arrested and charged 19-year-old construction worker Andre Hayman of Shooters Hill, Cold Spring, over the alleged sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl left alone at home about 11 p.m. while her brother went to a nearby shop. Hayman, known to the family, allegedly forced the child into a back room, then fled before a Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse manhunt led to his custody.

Cybersecurity expert Craig Powell said revelations that the government does not own the Support Jamaica site used for Hurricane Melissa donations raise digital-governance questions, and urged clearer laws for emergency procurement in disasters.

Attorney-at-law Janice Gordon, responding to the rape and killing of 10-year-old Shanae Coke, said monitoring of released sex offenders exists but policymakers must make rehabilitation and safeguards more robust, especially for repeat offenders.

The Planning Institute of Jamaica's 2025 Economic and Social Survey shows more than 15,000 Jamaicans joined overseas employment programmes last year, with Canada the top destination, while Chinese nationals received the most work permits among foreign workers here. Economist Keenan Faulkner told CVM the two-way flow reflects a modern labour market, with Chinese nationals prominent in construction, wholesale and retail, and accommodation and food services — sectors long flagged for shortages. He said the gap is often about wages people will accept, not only headcount, and that work-permit costs quoted to him at about US$5,000 per person add further expense for employers.