Paulwell: Any review of Dennis Gordon issue by Ethics Committee must go back to the House

Opposition Business Leader Phillip Paulwell says a memorandum from the Clerk to the Houses of Parliament has confirmed that the Ethics Committee has no authority to revisit the approved exemption motion concerning St Andrew East Central Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon without a new directive from the House of Representatives.

According to Paulwell, the memorandum indicated that, once a committee’s report has been adopted by the House, the body becomes “functus officio,” having completed its mandate, and cannot independently reopen or reconsider the matter.

Paulwell, who said he sought legal clarification, said the opinion provides much-needed guidance on parliamentary procedure and reinforces the authority of the House in directing the work of its committees.

“The legal advice is unequivocal. Once Parliament approved the exemption motion in February 2026, the role of the Ethics Committee came to an end. Any attempt to revisit that decision without a fresh motion of the House would be contrary to established parliamentary procedure,” said Paulwell in a statement Wednesday.

According to him, the memorandum further clarified that the Ethics Committee’s deliberations are strictly confined to matters referred to it by the House.

“As such, any issues arising subsequent to the adoption of the report including those reportedly linked to ongoing reviews or investigations by entities such as the Integrity Commission or the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), do not, in themselves, empower the committee to reopen the matter,”

Paulwell emphasised that the proper and lawful course for any reconsideration of the matter is clear, and reiterated his commitment to upholding the integrity of Parliament and ensuring that all proceedings are conducted within the bounds of the law and established procedure.

The declaration from Paulwell came a day after Gordon declined an invitation to appear before the Ethics Committee, which had summoned him to clarify remarks made during an earlier in-camera meeting regarding the exemption.

Committee chairman Marlene Malahoo Forte disclosed that Gordon, in a letter, indicated that he would not attend the meeting, maintaining that the committee lacks jurisdiction to question him.

Gordon has also asserted that the Ethics Committee does not have the authority to summon him without the full support of the House of Representatives, which had previously approved the exemption motion.

The committee had sought Gordon’s clarification on statements he made during a meeting in February concerning matters related to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) tax exemption issue.

UHWI officials confirmed more than two weeks ago that JACDEN, a company headed by Gordon, was one of four firms that benefited from the misuse of tax exemptions by the hospital.

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis uncovered a litany of procurement and tax exemption breaches at UHWI in a performance audit of the institution, the findings of which were tabled in Parliament in January.

The committee concluded this morning that the matter should be referred to the full House for consideration before it can proceed any further on the issue.

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