Supreme Court delays ruling in Carl Bruce, Integrity Commission statutory declarations case

The Supreme Court has again pushed back its decision in the lawsuit filed by Dr Carl Bruce, medical chief of staff at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), challenging a request by the Integrity Commission (IC) to submit statutory declarations for more than six calendar years.

The IC is Jamaica’s principal anti-corruption body, to which public officials are required to make annual declarations of their income, assets and liabilities.

Bruce was required, by a notice dated April 8 this year from Joeth Jones, director of information and complaints at the IC, to submit statutory declarations for the period August 1, 2018, to December 31 last year, according to redacted documents disclosed by the Court Administration Division (CAD) on Tuesday, in response to a request by The Gleaner.

However, in an “urgent application for court orders”, the medical doctor challenged the notice, asking the Supreme Court to declare that the designation “public official”, as defined by Section 2 of the Integrity Commission Act, does not apply to him for the period indicated by the IC.

In addition, Bruce, who is represented by the law firm Georgia Hamilton & Company, asked the court for a declaration that the notice from the IC is “null and void and of no effect” and an injunction barring Jones and the anti-corruption body from enforcing or taking any steps to enforce the notice.

The Supreme Court previously indicated that a ruling would be handed down on September 8.

But that was postponed to November 6, CAD confirmed via email on October 30.

Now, CAD says the lawsuit is scheduled to return to court on March 17, 2027.

The High Court judge presiding over the case also extended the injunction granted in April this year, which bars the IC from enforcing or taking steps to enforce the notice it served on Bruce until the outcome of the lawsuit is determined.

- Livern Barrett

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