{"id":263117,"date":"2026-01-03T21:32:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=263117"},"modified":"2026-01-03T21:32:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:32:06","slug":"pm-browne-confirms-wioc-official-was-questioned-in-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pm-browne-confirms-wioc-official-was-questioned-in-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Browne confirms WIOC official was questioned in U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Browne confirms WIOC official was questioned in U.S. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prime Minister Gaston Browne<\/strong> says he confirmed that a senior West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) official was questioned by U.S. authorities during a recent trip to the United States, after reading a report published by UPP-aligned Real News Antigua<\/strong> and subsequently speaking with the official.<\/p>

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Speaking on Pointe FM\u2019s Browne and Browne Show<\/em> on Saturday, Browne said he read the Real News report and then contacted WIOC Chief Executive Officer Gregory Georges<\/strong> to establish what had occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI saw the publication on Real News and I spoke to Gregory Georges,\u201d Browne said.<\/p>

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He said Georges confirmed that he was detained and questioned by U.S. authorities and that his electronic devices were taken temporarily.<\/p>

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\u201cHe told me that he was questioned and that his laptop and phone were taken, but later returned to him,\u201d Browne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne said the questioning appeared to be linked to ongoing international scrutiny involving Venezuela\u2019s historical 25 percent shareholding in WIOC.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He noted that WIOC\u2019s Venezuelan shareholding predated U.S. sanctions and said the company remained compliant after sanctions were imposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere has been absolutely no violation whatsoever,\u201d Browne said.<\/p>

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The prime minister said he addressed the matter publicly to confirm what had happened, after verifying the information directly.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m just stating what the issues are as I know them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne did not indicate that any action would be taken against the WIOC official, and said his remarks were intended to clarify the situation amid heightened international attention on Antigua and Barbuda and its state-owned entities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Browne confirms WIOC official was questioned in U.S. Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he confirmed that a senior West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) official was questioned by U.S. authorities during a recent trip to the United States, after reading a report published by UPP-aligned Real News Antigua and subsequently speaking with the official. Speaking on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-263117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPM Browne confirms WIOC official was questioned in U.S. - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pm-browne-confirms-wioc-official-was-questioned-in-u-s\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PM Browne confirms WIOC official was questioned in U.S.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Browne confirms WIOC official was questioned in U.S. Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he confirmed that a senior West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) official was questioned by U.S. authorities during a recent trip to the United States, after reading a report published by UPP-aligned Real News Antigua and subsequently speaking with the official. 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