THE Office of the Contractor General (OCG) has recommended that former Mayor of Lucea Shernet Haughton relinquish her post as councillor for the Green Island Division of the Hanover Parish Council on the basis of her unethical behaviour.
In a report tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday, the OCG said that its investigations into claims of corrupt practices by the former mayor and People’s National Party (PNP) councillor showed that she awarded at least $3.7 million worth of contracts to family members and close friends out of a budget of some $29.6 million during her two years as mayor of the town.
The report said that Haughton spent $2.7 million on nine family members, and the rest on close affiliates.
These family members included her spouse, Michael Grant; her son, Rayon Williams; her daughter, Nicollette Grant; her brother, Devon Haughton; her sister, Donola Levarrity; her sister-in-law, Carole Grant Haughton; her niece, Sgerriola Johnson; her brother-in-law, Petan Grant; and her sister, Sharon Haughton.
The $3.7 million is much less than the $15 million which Haughton had allegedly shared out to relatives and friends during her brief tenure as mayor and chairman of the Hanover Parish Council. The OCG indicated, however, that the 12 per cent represented funds awarded to individuals with whom it could clearly establish a relationship or connection with Haughton.
According to the OCG, Haughton, in her defence, insisted that she had not been made aware of the ethical issues related to her office prior to assuming the role of mayor of the town. However, the OCG dismissed the suggestion as a fabrication, and described the former mayor’s behaviour as “a shameless and brazen act.”
The OCG said that, in all circumstances, it was unethical and amounted to a conflict of interest and nepotism.
Prior to her resignation last August, Haughton had been in conflict for several months with the councillors and Member of Parliament for Western Hanover Ian Hayles over her leadership of the PNP-dominated local authority.
The OCG said that it recognised that Haughton had tendered her resignation as mayor of Lucea and chairman of the parish council on August 28 last year. However, the OCG said that it was of the considered opinion that Haughton ought to resign as councillor “in keeping with ethical principles of governance and sound ethical public management”.
The OCG also said that it was crucial that the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development put in place the necessary enforcement mechanisms to ensure that councillors and mayors abide by the principles outlined in the Code of Ethics for Councillors with appropriate sanctions for failure to comply.
wow so she didnt see anything wrong with giving contracts to every mrmber of her immediate famiky… Curious to know what business each one had.. Better she had afforded the entire thing to a distant relative and them they split it.. Damn fool she should go to jail for conspiracy and have to pay back all the money just for being an idiot.
And there’s confusion as to why my favorite Island can’t come out from under the mess it’s in! How does these people get these jobs? Why haven’t she been jailed as yet?
Wow!! The government needs to ask for her resignation. Prison time and reembursement shold be a must. Until this happens things like this will always happen. Poor people are the only ones to suffer from coruption, always remember this.
So mek mi get dis tr8..she a Mayor, and nuh know rang from right? but a wah di….she seh di office nevah tell har seh it unethical, lawd hah massie pan wi. Now send har to jail, and mek she pay it back plus interest. Dyam outah ordah.
Please give this BLATANT TEEF 15YRS Plus Restitution.
The toxic mindset of this bitch is so ingrained, it is even worst than the poisonous fumes from the Riverton dump fire to rass! Look how many things need to be fixed or taken care of in Jamaica. Some people can’t even afford basic food items, and dis ugly bitch a tek de Government money and a gi it to har family dem? Our corrupt politics is a debilitating disease, a cancer of the worst type. People like dis POS fit into dat category. We hold our politicians to the lowest common denominator, and wid POS like her, I see why. Many dunces and the least of the intellectual apostles too often attain leadership and management of public affairs in Ja. This POS is one of dem oofa heart dutty up you know! I’m glad that dem name har and shame har! Next steps include (1) Giving her a stiff prison sentence and (2) Mek de family members and friends dem pay back every rass cent, or else de same prison sentence ting must reach dem to!
PNP IS IN POWER NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THIS IS FRAUD IN IT’S MOST BLATANT FORM AND SHE DESERVES A HEFTY SENTENCE UNDER HER CORRUPT RAAS. THIEF.
She and that fat hog phucking on the street should be sharing a cell! Not one rass say mayor pon fi har face…de chop sey thiefT. God know the excuse she give should send her right to prison it a bother me bad.
Well, many of these ppl get positions without any good education or experience so it likely she really didn’t know, as hard as that is to believe. Hanover parish always have some sort of ppl a run it…kmt.
Lhow di raas Ooman. It r dis she grow up seeing every day in Jamaica. She only dweeing what the other teefs a do. She just neva know she shoulda neva kalleck di check dem an she shoulda gi two political Don man some af di loot. No restitution. Seaga get 20 kotch million loan, all from Govament bank bout tirty year now an all now him nuh gi back dalla. People inna Jamaica love vote fi dummy. Reap the rewards with a smile.
every day me see sumn crazy, wack and stupid happening in Jamaica. Now seriously what is happening in the damn country, the Jcan ppl too silence we stop block road and knock pot cover???? like ppl just siddung a complain bout wats wrong, who holding these ppl accountable and why is she not in prison????? wat di rass a gwan!!!! i’M so pissed every day ppl a beg fi medical help and all kinda assistance and this bitch a live big and a give out money like a lottery she win. We need to do sumn, All JCANS near and far we cant allow these tricksters to destroy our country anymore.
Me naa knock her still enuh, cause work a run she look our fi her family first. Nuff a we woul do it. As long as they were qualified and had the proper paper work in place.