GraceKennedy Limited, The Musson Group and Keith Duncan were revealed as financiers for the communication services FINN Partners provided Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith during her failed bid for Commonwealth Secretary-General in June.
In providing responses to questions posed by Opposition spokesman Julian Robinson to Prime Minister Andrew Holness in Parliament, Information Minister Robert Morgan noted that the three contributors to the US$99,000 FINN Partners contract gave permission to be named. FINN Partners is a global marketing firm based in the US.
The contest for the Commonwealth Secretary-General took place during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Kigali, Rwanda, from June 20 to 25, 2022. FINN Partners provided public relations, media relations and thought leadership services for Johnson Smith.
“As stated in public filings made by FINN Partners, the contract was for three months — the anticipated duration of the Commonwealth Secretary-General campaign,” stated Morgan.
Morgan said the government had received permission from the three companies to “make the public aware that they contributed to the payment of FINN Partners.”
Over $25 million was spent for the Jamaican delegation that attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit. The delegation included Prime Minister Andrew Holness and representatives from several ministries. Over $18.2 million was spent on Jamaica’s candidature for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General.
The incumbent, Dominica-born Baroness Patricia Scotland, narrowly defeated Johnson-Smith to retain her position as Commonwealth Secretary-General.