Phillips is charged with violating the Integrity Commission Act, but the deputy says he is in full compliance

Manchester North Western MP Mikael Phillips is charged with breaching the Integrity Commission Act by failing to provide his affidavit for the period up to December 31, 2022.

However, Phillips had already stated that he had now complied with all of his obligations under the law.

The decision by the Integrity Commission’s director of corruption prosecutions said there was prima facie evidence that Phillips had breached the requirements of sections 39 and 41 of the Act and was therefore criminally liable.

Both the verdict and the Integrity Commission’s investigation report into Phillips were tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, a week after they were sent to the House of Representatives.

According to the commission’s investigator, Phillips “failed to file the required affidavit with the commission on a timely basis” and “failed to provide a reasonable reason for not doing so.”

The investigator said that on May 30, 2023, Phillips was served with a release of liability notice, giving him 21 days to pay the assessed penalty of $250,000 to the Jamaica Revenue Authority and file the outstanding statutory return with the commission.

The commission said checks with the Information and Complaints Division revealed that Phillips submitted the outstanding statement on May 31, 2023, before the expiration of the liability release notice. However, the legislature did not impose a flat-rate penalty.

“This was confirmed by a certificate of non-payment of the fixed penalty received from the Jamaica Revenue Authority, which was submitted to the Commission on June 26, 2023,” the investigator said in his report, which he referred to the Director of Corruption Enforcement for consideration.

However, last Friday, Phillips issued a statement saying that although he started his filing later, he had complied with all of the commission’s requirements.

“I would like to point out that my affidavit for 2022 was unfortunately filed late due to a delay in receiving all relevant documents. Shortly after the deadline, the documents were submitted and I have since fully complied with all requirements,” said the parliamentarian.

“As a public servant, I take my responsibilities seriously and although the affidavit was delayed, it is not related to unjust enrichment. All my affidavits have been certified and the late filing penalty of $250,000 has been paid,” he added.