Despite Having Served As A Director of Both Entities, Businessman Mark Azan Claims To 'Not Know Anything' About Positive Jamaica Foundation Or A Media Company He And PM Andrew Holness Started In 2020
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“Lawlessness is going to kill this country if it is not already dead...You’re either a tief, corrupt, in bed with a politician, and I have no time for this anymore.”
That complaint came from Mark Azan when 18º North first called him in January of 2023. He was bemoaning how difficult it had been accessing his old business place —Azan’s House of Fabrics in downtown, Kingston, which, he said, had closed eight years ago.
But the part about being “in bed with a politician” and having “no time for this anymore” was strange coming from someone who’s had a business relationship with Prime Minister Andrew Holness for over a decade.
Mr. Azan served as a director and the secretary of Positive Jamaica Foundation Limited and West Central St. Andrew Trust, both of which had the prime minister as a director until 2021. Even today, the 62-year-old’s name appears as a director and shareholder of a media company registered in 2020 that was originally backed by Prime Minister Holness.
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The name of the media company is Positive Media Solutions Ltd. It was set up to do media broadcasting, multimedia services, event management, communications and promotion, based on company records.
At inception, Mr. Azan was the only listed director and was allotted 1 of the 100 authorized ordinary shares. The holder of the other 99 shares was a company called *Imperium Investments Holdings Limited, whose beneficial owner is Andrew Holness, a politician. The secretary for Imperium was and still is Donovan Williams, an attorney and also a politician.
Imperium was incorporated during the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020, four months before Positive Media Solutions was registered in October of that year.
Two years later, on October 31, 2022, Imperium forfeited its 99 shares and they were re-allotted to a Andrew Matthew Holness, who used the same address as the prime minister, and who, based on reporting in the public domain, appears to be his son. The prime minister’s full name is Andrew Michael Holness.
Though a few days shy of his 18th birthday, the underaged Holness also joined Mr. Azan as a director of Positive Media Solutions effective October 29, 2022. (The Companies Office says a minor can become a director or shareholder of a company as long as he or she is not the sole director or shareholder since the minor wouldn’t be able to enter into contractual arrangements. Additionally, the paperwork to make the changes was received by the agency on November 9, 2022, after the junior Holness would have turned 18, which means his directorship start date would have been backdated.)
When 18º North asked Mr. Azan, “Aren’t you in bed with a politician?”
He responded, “No, when I realize that it’s not making sense and have no interest in Jamaica, I left…you notice I not involved in nott’n anymore.”
18º North followed up, “No, I see you as a director with Mr. Holness on this Positive Media Solutions…” (At the time, 18º North hadn’t realized that the director was the son and that the shares had switched to being in the son’s name after first being held by Imperium that was backed by the prime minister.)
“Yes, well that’s how life is, darling, and I give up,” Mr. Azan said.
After a decade of serving in the roles, Mr. Azan did stop being a director and the secretary of Positive Jamaica Foundation in 2021. He ceased being secretary of West Central St. Andrew Trust in 2016. Last week, on December 12, 2023, West Central St. Andrew Trust also filed paperwork to remove him as a director of that organization to be effective as of the backdated date of January 19, 2022.
‘Don’t Know Anything’
Mr. Azan told 18⁰ North the reason he came off as a director of Positive Jamaica Foundation was “because I don't know anything about anything that’s going on.”
When asked, he also claimed to not know what was going on at Positive Media Solutions either. “Speak to Mr. Holness on that ‘cause I don't know anything about that,” he said.
“You don’t know anything about this company?” 18º North pressed.
“No, no,” he responded.
He referred questions to Kedesha Campbell at the prime minister’s office. “She’s the person that deals with everything…She handles all the paperwork for the PM.”
Reached by phone, however, Mrs. Campbell, who has since added Rochester to her surname, said it’s not true that she deals with Mr. Holness’ company filings. (In the past, she was reportedly Mr. Holness’ personal assistant and the person that had assumed the role of secretary of West Central St. Andrew Trust when Mr. Azan ceased serving in that position in November 2016. She stopped being the secretary in December 2021, but while in that role, she was hired as Project Director of the Constituency Development Fund Project Management Unit within the Office of the Prime Minister.)
Reaction to Mr. Azan’s Comments
Mr. Azan’s responses are “more than curious” and “worthy of further investigation,” says Joseph Patterson, Founder and Chairman of the political party, United Independents' Congress of Jamaica.
“‘He doesn’t know anything about this’ is not an acceptable answer,” Mr. Patterson told 18º North. “That answer should cause us to dig further especially because of the nature of the persons involved, one being the prime minister.”
Robert Stephens, member of activist group Advocates Network adds that being secretary or director of a company should be treated seriously. The secretary is usually the one in charge of the regulatory filings. On Mr. Azan’s responses, he said, “It indicates a lack of care. It’s indicating that these people aren’t serious about being straight, upfront.”
Mr. Azan didn’t answer a follow-up question sent to him via WhatsApp in November 2023 asking him why he allowed his name to be used on Positive Media Solutions and Positive Jamaica Foundation if he doesn’t know anything about them. Neither did he answer a question about how he and Prime Minister Holness came to be doing business together in the first place.
Prime Minister Holness didn’t respond to questions about the relationship between himself and Mr. Azan and whether Mr. Azan was an actual director or just a placeholder director of Positive Media Solutions since the businessman said he didn’t know anything about the company.
Prime Minister Holness also didn’t answer a question as to why his now 19-year-old son switched to being the majority shareholder of Positive Media Solutions instead of Imperium Investments, whose beneficial owner is himself.
The junior Holness couldn’t be reached for comment.
As to whether Positive Media Solutions had ever received any government contracts, Prime Minister Holness didn’t answer a question about that. A database with information regarding entities that get government contracts is no longer made public by the Integrity Commission.
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This version of the story has been updated to reflect the Companies Office comment about minors being able to serve as directors and shareholders of companies. It also corrects the date on which the paperwork to add Andrew Matthew Holness as a director of Positive Media Solutions Ltd. The correct date is Nov. 9, 2022.
*Imperium Investments Holdings Ltd. also appears as Imperium Investment Holdings Ltd. in Companies Office records.
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