Mark Golding Urges Holness to Remove Wheatley From Cabinet After IC Report

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Leader Mark Golding is pressing Prime Minister Andrew Holness to remove Dr Andrew Wheatley from his post as minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister without further delay, following the tabling of an Integrity Commission (IC) investigation report that recommends multiple criminal charges against him.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Golding said the director of corruption prosecution, acting on that report, has determined that Wheatley should be charged on four counts. Those include illicit enrichment, knowingly making false statements in statutory declarations, and failing to supply information to the director of information and complaints as the law requires.

Golding insisted that a minister facing prosecution recommendations on such serious matters cannot remain in Jamaica's Cabinet.

"A minister who has been recommended for prosecution on four criminal charges, including the serious offence of illicit enrichment, cannot be allowed to remain in the Cabinet of Jamaica. Prime Minister Holness must act immediately. The integrity of our public institutions and the trust of the Jamaican people demand nothing less," the opposition leader said.

The report, completed by the director of investigation on March 20, 2026 and confirmed by the director of corruption prosecution on June 11, 2026, alleges that Wheatley built up assets roughly $164 million beyond what his lawful earnings could support over nine years. Investigators say he could not offer a satisfactory explanation when formally required to do so.

Wheatley has rejected the findings and maintained his innocence. He contends that about $168 million in real estate earnings were not factored into the IC's review.

Golding also pointed out that this is not the first time Wheatley's conduct in public office has come under serious scrutiny. The opposition leader recalled that Wheatley was previously removed from Cabinet for an extended period over his ministerial record, yet Holness reappointed him after the 2025 general election.

That decision, Golding argued, raises whether Wheatley told the prime minister about the ongoing IC investigation or withheld it. In either case, he said, bringing him back into Cabinet has now been exposed as a grave misjudgment.

"Prime Minister Holness brought Dr Wheatley back into Cabinet, despite the clear warning signs. Good governance is not a mere slogan, it is a required standard. The prime minister has a duty to uphold that standard, immediately and without hesitation," Golding said.