Golding calls for Wheatley's cabinet removal after integrity report recommends charges

Opposition Leader Mark Golding is pressing for the immediate removal of Dr Andrew Wheatley from cabinet after Parliament received an Integrity Commission investigation report recommending criminal charges against the minister.

The report, tabled on Wednesday, found that Dr Wheatley had some $164 million in unexplained assets between 2013 and 2022. The director of corruption prosecution determined he should face four charges, including illicit enrichment, knowingly making false statements in statutory declarations, and failing to provide information to the Integrity Commission.

Golding questioned why Dr Wheatley was reappointed to cabinet after the 2025 general election despite what he described as "clear warning signs," calling the decision a grave misjudgment. The People's National Party held a press conference on the matter at the opposition leader's office.

Political analyst Jermaine Barrett said Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness should consider asking Dr Wheatley to step aside, arguing that with prosecution recommended, the minister's focus would likely shift to clearing his name rather than carrying out government duties. Dr Gavin Myers, principal director of National Integrity Action, said ministers must report gifts correctly and that Dr Wheatley's omissions appeared deliberate given his long record in public office. Dr Wheatley has rejected the report as false and misleading.

Separately, Jamaicans for Justice is calling for greater transparency and human rights safeguards as the government negotiates an agreement with the United States to temporarily receive non-Jamaican deportees. Executive Director Mickel Jackson said the arrangement could raise serious questions about Jamaica's obligations under international refugee law and the treatment of persons who may face persecution in their home countries.

Three men died in a three-vehicle crash along the Braeton main road in Trelawny on Wednesday night at about 9:00 p.m. The collision involved a white Toyota Hiace, a Toyota Voxy, and a black Toyota Fielder. Preliminary investigations by the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch suggest improper overtaking, loss of control, and excessive speed may have contributed. The deceased are two male drivers aged 29 and 22, along with a male passenger, whose identities are not yet confirmed. National Road Safety Council chairman Dr Lucien Jones renewed his call for a demerit point system as June road deaths reached 23 and the year-to-date toll stood at 134.

The Area 3 police division has launched Operation Reset to target crime across Clarendon, Manchester, and St Elizabeth. Head of Area 3 police, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Phillips, unveiled the initiative at the Mandeville Police Civic Committee annual general meeting, pledging a zero-tolerance posture against criminality. He reported murders up 55 percent, from 34 to 52 cases, and shootings up 15 percent, from 34 to 39, compared with the corresponding period last year.

The PNP Culture and Heritage Commission is urging the government to formally designate June 16 as a national day of recognition for Leonard Percival Howell, widely regarded as founder of the Rastafari movement, as Jamaica marks the 128th anniversary of his birth. The commission said the observance would not be a public holiday but would preserve Howell's legacy and educate future generations.

Overseas, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone offensives against Russia, with Moscow's mayor reporting more than 200 attack drones intercepted over the capital. Several drones reached targets, including Moscow's largest oil refinery in the Kapotnya district, and residential buildings were also hit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the strikes as a just response to Russian attacks, as President Vladimir Putin opened a three-day Russia-ASEAN summit in Kazan and G7 leaders in France pledged continued support for Ukraine.