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US Report: Antigua’s Freedom of Information Law Lags in Practice
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Antigua and Barbuda’s Freedom of Information Act, designed to give citizens access to public records, is falling short in practice, according to a U.S. government report.
The 2025 Investment Climate Statement, published in September by the U.S. Department of State, said the law grants citizens the statutory right to request official documents from public authorities and establishes a commissioner to oversee the process.
But the report noted that residents often face significant difficulties in obtaining records.
“Citizens found it difficult to obtain documents, possibly due to government funding constraints rather than obstruction,” the State Department wrote.
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The Act also created a special unit to monitor and verify disclosures, but by law, those disclosures are not public. While there are criminal and administrative penalties for noncompliance, enforcement has been inconsistent.
The U.S. report placed the shortcomings of the Freedom of Information Act within a broader pattern of transparency challenges.
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It said that while Antigua and Barbuda publishes laws, regulations, and judicial decisions, draft bills are not always subject to public consultation, limiting stakeholder input into policymaking.
Antigua and Barbuda is party to multiple international conventions on good governance, but the State Department concluded that implementation of domestic transparency mechanisms remains weak.
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It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this. The purpose of the freedom Information Act was to grant the public the right to request access to government records in order to promote transparency. By providing access to information, it keeps the public informed and encourages accountability. Government have systematically misused the Freedom of Information Act by stretching its exemptions in order to hide embarrassing and problematic documents that should be made public. The intent of the office was a good one but in its current setup and function, it is badly used and manipulated by government and this is obviously seen and acknowledged by the US.
Absolutely correct!
Our own Parliamentary politician the Honourable Richard Lewis has made a Freedom Of Information Act request in the past and according to the rules of open and transparent governance. However, Prime Minister Gaston Browne refused point blank to “allegedly” save a family member when transparency was called for.
Nobody should refuse, whoever you are …
The FOIA was always intended for accountability and transparency; and I’ve noted that globally with some interest, that when any politician uses the FOIA against civil servants or others in authority, they cannot refuse.
Hopefully, a law will be created so that nobody can refuse.