Jamaica’s Public Accounts Committee has launched formal contempt proceedings against the chief executive officer of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), after Fitzgerald Mitchell skipped a third summoned hearing for a parliamentary probe into an critical Auditor General’s audit of the hospital’s operations. The disciplinary step was finalized on Tuesday, when Mitchell failed to appear at the committee’s sitting without any advance notice or explanation, despite receiving an official parliamentary summons on June 8.
Committee chair Julian Robinson confirmed that the panel had received no communication from either Mitchell or his legal representation regarding his absence. “In view of his absence from this meeting, there is a process that will be triggered,” Robinson told the assembled committee members.
Mitchell’s repeated refusal to appear has drawn fierce condemnation from cross-party committee members, who specifically asked for his testimony to address red flags raised in the audit. The Auditor General’s performance review uncovered major systemic vulnerabilities at the hospital, including flawed procurement practices, weak institutional governance, and poor record-keeping protocols that create major risks for public funds and patient care.
In a notable contrast to Mitchell’s noncompliance, two other senior former leaders called to give evidence as part of the probe — former UHWI CEO Kevin Allen and former board chair Wayne Chai Chong — have already appeared before the committee and answered questions fully. Robinson highlighted this cooperation to underscore the unacceptable nature of Mitchell’s ongoing refusal to engage with parliamentary oversight.
“It is very concerning that a public official who is in a position of authority, having been invited first, not responded, having been summoned, no response either from himself nor his lawyer, is in contempt and in breach of the Parliament,” Robinson said.
Senior Legislative Counsel Tiffany Stewart confirmed to the committee that all required legal and administrative steps to serve the summons were completed in full compliance with the nation’s Senate and House of Representatives Powers and Privileges Act, as well as the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. She confirmed that Mitchell’s unexcused failure to attend meets the legal definition of contempt of Parliament, clearing the way for the House to initiate formal penalty proceedings.
However, Stewart also drew the committee’s attention to a major gap in the current legislation: the maximum penalty laid out for contempt of Parliament is widely recognized as outdated and insufficient. Under existing law, a person found guilty of contempt only faces a top fine of 200 Jamaican dollars, equivalent to less than 1.50 USD, or up to 12 months of imprisonment only if the fine is not paid.
Robinson emphasized that this weak penalty is clearly inadequate, and directly undermines Parliament’s core constitutional mandate to conduct oversight of public institutions. He warned that allowing senior public officials to ignore formal parliamentary summonses without meaningful consequence erodes the entire system of public accountability. “It can’t be that a committee designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and good governance will have its work subverted simply because a public officer refuses to appear before it,” Robinson added.
After closed deliberations, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with the process. The panel will prepare a formal report for the Speaker of the House of Representatives that details Mitchell’s repeated noncompliance with the summons, and formally request that the House initiate the full contempt process laid out under existing law.