The Supreme Court ruled that Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith did not break any rules regarding corporate donations for her failed bid for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General. Johnson Smith believes this ruling confirms her innocence as she has maintained all along.
Kamina Johnson Smith said in a statement on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, that the ruling vindicates her integrity because she has always maintained her innocence.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the many Jamaican people who have reached out to me with unwavering support and belief in my integrity during this challenging period,” she added.
Minister Kamina Johnson Smith
The decision on Wednesday was in response to a lawsuit filed by Wilfred Rattigan, a Jamaican-born retired United States (US) law enforcement agent.
The Court ruled that Rattigan, a former US FBI special agent born and raised in Waterhouse, St Andrew, does not have legal standing to file the lawsuit.
The Court ordered Rattigan to pay Johnson Smith’s legal costs. And granted him permission to appeal the decision within the next 14 days.
The issue in question is whether the Minister declared gifts she received during her campaign for Commonwealth Secretary General as required by law. Rattigan said she did not.
Among the donors was Keith Duncan, a banking executive, as well as Jamaican companies GraceKennedy and Musson Group. They contributed $99,000 or J$15 million to Finn Partners, an American firm, for public relations services for Johnson Smith’s campaign for Commonwealth Secretary-General. Information Minister Robert Morgan revealed this in September.
Other donors did not consent to having their names disclosed, Morgan said.
But a May 1, 2023 filing by Finn Partners under the FARA revealed four others – Sandals Resorts International, The Jamaica National Group Limited, AIC Barbados Limited, and Barita Investments Limited.
The lawsuit sought a declaration that both Johnson Smith and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade did not comply with the law and that the Finance Ministry required them to report the donation as a gift.