Second Law Enforcement Agency Probing Building Breach at Property Owned By PNP Councillor

Nationwide News has learnt that a second law enforcement agency has jumped into the storm surrounding the alleged illegal building saga that has engulfed the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, KSAMC, and the embattled People’s National Party, PNP, councillor for the Maxfield division, Dennis Gordon.

Gordon, a prominent businessman and PNP caretaker for East Central St. Andrew, finds himself at the centre of the alleged controversy.

This second law enforcement agency, which has taken a keen interest in the scandal, is reportedly reviewing the alleged steps that have been taken to regularise the building in question, which is said to have been constructed illegally.

Chevon Campbell reports.

The structure, located on Lyndhurst Road in St. Andrew, towers over the area with its alleged three or four stories.

It’s owned by a company tied to Gordon, the JACDEN Group of Companies, and prominently bears the name Dennis J. Gordon Building.

As Nationwide News first reported on December 19 last year, a law enforcement agency launched an investigation into how Gordon’s company managed to erect the alleged illegal building this year all without securing the necessary permit from the KSAMC.

When contacted on December 19, Gordon declined to comment.

Then, on December 20, the Integrity Commission moved in, seizing key documents related to the alleged construction from the KSAMC, a move that escalated the matter to new heights.

Both Gordon and Kingston’s mayor, Andrew Swaby, have since issued public statements regarding the alleged incident.

However, neither has denied that the major structure now housing a medical facility was allegedly built without a KSAMC permit.

Mayor Swaby did admit in his statement that JACDEN had submitted an ‘As Built’ application, a process that raised eyebrows.

Construction industry experts note that such applications are typically made when a building has been constructed without the proper permits, essentially an attempt to make the allegedly illegal structure legitimate.

If it turns out that the KSAMC permit was never obtained, under Jamaican law, the building would still be considered illegal and could either face regularisation or demolition.

To make matters even more explosive, Mayor Swaby revealed that a stop order was placed on the alleged construction in 2023.

This is after it was discovered that the building had expanded into a three-storey structure, despite JACDEN having applied to build a mere two-storey facility.

As the alleged illegal construction saga deepened over the weekend, Councillor Gordon issued a statement, saying he had recused himself immediately from both the KSAMC’s building committee and the leadership of the corporation’s finance committee.

In an attempt to distance himself from the growing controversy, Gordon insisted that he was stepping down “even though his company had already initiated steps to regularise the alleged illegal development.”

Behind the scenes, multiple law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies are reportedly intensifying their investigation into a host of alleged violations.

Investigators are said to be examining whether there was a breach of the Building Act, and whether any public officials may have misused their power or engaged in misconduct during the alleged illegal construction process.