Holness backs Wheatley as IC report sparks TCN and governance debate

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has spoken publicly for the first time about the Integrity Commission report into the financial affairs of Cabinet Minister Dr. Andrew Wheatley, saying Wheatley retains his confidence as a member of the Cabinet.

In an interview on Cliff Hughes Online on Monday, June 22, 2026, Holness described the recommended charges as serious but noted that Wheatley had not yet been charged. He said he had only briefly reviewed the document and planned to be briefed by attorneys involved in the matter. Holness added that he expected Wheatley to attend Cabinet and that they would discuss the report directly.

The commission has recommended that Wheatley, Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South Central, face charges including illicit enrichment. The report alleges he acquired assets totalling about $164 million that were disproportionate to his lawful earnings between 2013 and 2022, and that he failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.

Opposition spokesperson on justice Zulika Jess, speaking at a People's National Party divisional conference in Kingston on Saturday, said the findings raised serious questions about accountability in public life. She also called on the government to address non-functional courts in St. Elizabeth, saying residents' access to justice was being affected.

The PNP Women's Movement, led by Patricia Duncan Sutherland, is demanding immediate answers on reports that Jamaica may participate in a third country national arrangement with the United States. The group says Jamaicans deserve clarity on why the country might host persons of questionable character, citing comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and raising concerns about the safety of women and children.

Retired Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor, MP caretaker for Central Kingston, has warned that some deported nationals entering Jamaica under such arrangements may pose a security risk, disputing claims that none are criminals.

Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon said grade six students recorded significant improvements in mathematics and language arts despite disruptions from Hurricane Melissa, with about eight per cent rated highly proficient. Schools were expected to receive placement information at noon, with results released to parents and guardians around 2:00 p.m.

Jamaica Teachers' Association President Mark Malavo said teachers had made extraordinary sacrifices after the storm, while counselling psychologist Dr. Patrice Charles King urged parents to offer reassurance before discussing scores or school placements.

St. Andrew North recorded an eighty-one per cent drop in murders and a sixty-five per cent decline in other major crimes during the first quarter of 2026, according to Area Five Commander Assistant Commissioner of Police Odane Chambers.

On Sunday, farmers in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, found a decomposing body believed to be that of a male around 9:00 a.m. Police said it was the third such discovery in eleven days, following a torso found in Aberdeen on Thursday night and the body of missing Mandeville pharmacy technician Cadisia Mloud in Peppa on June 11.