Prime Minister Gaston Browne has pushed back against opposition calls for a commission of inquiry into recent government procurement issues, arguing that the United Progressive Party (UPP) should first answer for its own record of financial mismanagement while in office.
Speaking on his Browne and Browne Show over the weekend, Browne accused the UPP of “legitimized theft” during its time in power and said the party has no moral authority to demand investigations into his administration’s affairs.
“The UPP wasn’t able to incriminate anybody after nearly ten and a quarter years in government,” Browne said. “They had all kinds of investigations, even mock investigations. So if we can get these people to cooperate and provide restitution with the understanding that there is no repeat, it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Browne cited the 65 percent Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax (ABST) concession granted to Sandals Resorts under the UPP, calling it a textbook case of how poor policy cost taxpayers dearly. “When you look at the situation that we had with Sandals, in which Harold Lovell and others in the UPP allowed Sandals to hold on to 65 percent of the ABST they collected on behalf of the government of Antigua and Barbuda,” Browne said, “that was legitimized theft. It cost the people of Antigua and Barbuda $101 million in losses.”
He added that while critics have called for an inquiry into current procurement practices, they have remained silent about past decisions that drained the public purse. “He who has not sinned, cast the first stone,” Browne said. “So those of you all asking for investigation, remember there are lots of them on the UPP.”
The prime minister also accused the former administration of wiping out millions in taxes owed by political allies and favored businesses. “When the ministers in the UPP used to write off all the taxes and so on, by the time we came into office in 2014, we calculated the amount of taxes they robbed the country — it was fifteen million dollars,” Browne said. “And we didn’t get back the money because they went belly up.”
He further alleged that some business figures associated with the opposition evaded customs duties by paying for only a fraction of their imported containers. “There were allegations of certain business people on the UPP — they pay customs for two containers, and every two they pay for, four pass out of the port without any payments,”
Browne said the revelations underline the need for stronger oversight systems and periodic rotation of public servants in sensitive positions such as Customs and the Treasury, which he described as “captured” by private interests over time.
While Browne defended his government’s decision not to launch a commission of inquiry, the stance marks a subtle shift from his earlier support for transparency as a tool for accountability. In previous interviews, the prime minister had said his administration welcomed scrutiny, arguing that investigations could reinforce public confidence.
This time, however, he portrayed opposition calls for inquiry as politically motivated. “Some just want to see the government embarrassed,” he said. “But they should clean their own house first before calling for investigations into ours.”
The prime minister’s comments came as part of a wider discussion on public accountability and his new policy of rotating officials to prevent entrenched corruption. Browne said the government is enforcing Cabinet-approved rules for vehicle procurement and tightening Treasury oversight to close loopholes exploited by “captured” civil servants and politically connected businesses.
“We recognize that we have to do more rotations within the public sector as part of our governance framework,” he said. “We need balance, and I’m going to ensure that there’s balance. What I want to ensure is that this government, this country, is governed better.”
The reforms, he said, are designed to move beyond partisan blame toward systemic fixes. Yet, even as Browne calls for introspection and institutional renewal, his critics argue that transparency cannot be selective — and that meaningful accountability will ultimately require independent inquiry mechanisms
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A while back is you Gaston that told your cabinet staff must practice creative enrichment. Well look ya. All ah we a do the same ting. What good for you and your cabinet staff hafa good for us.
Look how you have plenty money and property on your salary by practicising creative enrichement. You set the example and since you rich, we a do the same.
anyone but LOVELL….well LOVELL or BOWEN. UPP needs to keep those 2 out of the limelight. They have “blood on their hands” so to speak.
Let Mr. Pringle or even Pearl Quinn deal with these things. She is new and squeaky clean, but can’t say the same for LOVELL & BOWEN.
I don’t see the need to blame UPP or ABLP. What is before us is a massive scandal where persons were robbing the government of it taxes. Let’s go after those how have government vehicles in their possession, who sold government vehicles, and who bought vehicles without cabinet approval. That is the case on hand. Keep the politics out for now. Why should a high ranking police officer bought several vehicles under the guise that he bought them for the police Force. That is a massive corruption scheme if that is true. The old saying goes, bucket go to well for water, one day the bucket bottom go drop and it will not be able to collect any more water. Am sitting on the sidewalk watching and waiting.
Gaston Browne has challenged the UPP Opposition to “examine its own record before calling for inquiries” into Vehiclegate.
The UPP is calling for an inquiry and is holding this get-together on Tuesday which just like the others will not produce any result or action from the party.
Mr Pringle might want to take Mr Browne’s challenge seriously. It could be that he knows what he is saying. There are too many ‘red ‘flags’ that could prove fateful. Two of them are facts.
Baba has been building a house for Mr Pringle (proved).
Mr Pringle has a Bronco (not proved).
Schoolchildren say that someone who stayed close to Anthony Smith after he became a Lungu, is ready to swear that Smith was told (written evidence) by the leadership to warn one of his fellow MPs who was cocked and ready to reel Baba in, not to go after him since he was a serious contributor to the blue and this move would create problems (proved).
This last one was not made public so it is safe to say the MP got the message.
Huh? Tell me one person on the UPP board that became rich from being in politics, just one? and I’ll wait.
What mess? y’all got to be idiots to listen to this man. And don’t forget the ALPHA..not because the judge(who was probably paid off) drop the case, didn’t mean that deal wasn’t shrouded in corruption, because all now we don’t even know where that money went.
Name one thing that UPP did that was even close to any of those things?
Like I said, if UPP was corrupt as people are saying, they would have never lost an election, they would have transfer votes, buy votes, and do any amount of dirty work to stay in office.
That’s not who these people are, they are not perfect, but many of the UPP candidates are way too innocent for Antigua’s dirty politics, and that’s why the lost so bad before, and barely lost in the last election, or might I say got stolen from them.
I forgot who the guy was, but he came on here and said the same thing. The likes of Pringle are way too innocent for Antigua messy dirty politics that’s 95% perpetuated by GB, Cutie and the rest.
So stop the deflections you fools.
…Gaston, U claim say dat, U ah Rasta
…but I n I know, Rasta nah jester!
…even though, him might wear polyester!
…so, tap de #Gaslighting sah!
…’cause, this is what was said by Peter
…an Original Whailer and true Rasta
…who burnt Babylon, wid H.I.M. lyrics
…then, if U really and truly want to fix this
…tek ah serious #VIBZ, and listen
…no more bombo #gaslighting!
…as in shouting, trying to be enlightening!
Tell him Peter!
Rasta nah jester!
H.I.M. done defeat Babylon
Wid lightening, brimstone and fire!
And, even if u hab Baldhead Dread
Babylon is fearful, of what many have said
youtube.com/watch?v=1RNvGAolowA
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏾Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
There are always a certain amount of corruption, cronyism, nepotism and downright thieving in any political party anywhere, and once the majority of the population is doing well people don’t complain too much but from my observation I believe in the ABLP it’s through the stratosphere and that is the crux of the matter