Weeks after St Ann’s Bay Mayor Michael Belnavis became embroiled in controversy over his stewardship of municipal funds, climaxing last Thursday with a demolition related to building breaches, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has reserved comment until he has been fully briefed.

Anti-corruption lobby National Integrity Action (NIA) has called for Belnavis to immediately resign following revelations of his role in a private company that captured government land and constructed a building in violation of the law.

The disclosure was made in a Sunday Gleaner report that showed how City Mall Management sought permission from the St Ann Municipal Corporation, which Belnavis leads, at least a month after works started.

In a statement on Monday, NIA said that if the mayor refuses to walk, the other 15 councillors in the parish should “put public interest above party” and expel the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for misconduct.

“Good practice demands that Mayor Belnavis do the right thing and separate himself from the high office of mayor,” said Professor Trevor Munroe, the head of NIA, a chapter of Transparency International, the global anti-corruption watchdog.