REAL NEWS: Akaash Maharaj, a member of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), asserts that a public inquiry is crucial in order to ensure democratic justice for the people of Antigua and Barbuda in the Antigua Airways/African migrant-smuggling saga.
Maharaj emphasizes the need for an inquiry to seek justice for the 17 West Africans who tragically lost their lives at sea in late March while attempting to reach the United States Virgin Islands from Antigua.
According to Maharaj, the available information raises numerous unanswered questions, making it imperative that this matter is not left unresolved.
Additionally, Maharaj points out that some political actors are attempting to portray themselves as victims, claiming they were deceived by those responsible for the airline venture.
However, he argues that if these claims are true, they should be tested through an inquiry, which would highlight the decision makers’ failure to exercise due diligence.
Maharaj emphasizes that various aspects of the airline did not meet necessary requirements, and it was evident from the start that the West Africans brought to Antigua were not tourists.
Consequently, he suggests that negligence or complicity was involved, and the airline was engaged in human trafficking.
According to Maharaj, a conventional investigation would not sufficiently uncover the complete truth of the matter.
Therefore, he asserts that the pursuit of truth necessitates a public inquiry.
Maharaj expressed these views on Thursday night, June 8, during a public forum organized by the United Progressive Party.
During the event, he addressed both the political and humanitarian aspects of the call for a commission of inquiry.
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CARICOM, and or the OECS must strengthen their law enforcement counterparts, similar to the FBI, INTERPOL and the CANADIAN MOUNTIES to investigate cases such as these, provide their findings to the Judiciary for Criminal Prosecution(s), where necessary.
Regardless, of how much Nations like America are hated for what ever reason, as we pay close attention, to their Judiciary/Legal system, no one is above the law. Not even the Commander in Chief or former Presidents. Nixon, Clinton, Trump all know this too well.
Governors to Mayors to Judges to Members of Congress also know, that they’re not above the ‘law.’
In the case of Antigua, Barbuda & REDONDA where is the Office of the OMBUDSMAN to address the issues surrounding, The Antigua Airwsys fiasco?
Ras Smood aka Jumbee_Picknee
These dunce UPP people need to just wait 5 years and if they win call an inquiry then. Stop trying to waste our little resources on an inquiry that will just show how the African brothers rob their own people and lead them to their death. Time UPP stop trying push this government out and work with them for the betterment of the country. You loss so wait your turn five years goes fast.
@ Born Antiguan
Shut the hell up you ignoramus.
U obviously IS NOT A BORN ANTIGUAN. IF U WERE YOU WOULD BE CALLING FOR AN ENQUIRY- move your ass along.
If there is nothing to hide have an inquiry to prove my government right and the opposition wrong, and therefore shut up the upp once and for all.
You acting like you have something to hide, you protecting something or someone 🤔 you’re adamant no inquiry will be called …
You’re hiding something!! hmm
What are you hiding?
Whom are you protecting?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
Someone should sue this Akaash Mahars for making these unsubstantiated allegations of human trafficking by the airline. People freely purchase their ticket to come to Antigua, that is how far the airline’s responsibility goes. Antigua had a visa on arrival policy and they made use of that. Everyone therefore came here legally and was given a visa on arrival. What else is there to inquire. The Africans made themselves available for interviews on several public radios. They explained the entire trip. How they found out that they could have found a gateway into the USA. On entry into Antigua they claimed to be tourists. With connecting flights to Surinam. This got disrupted when our government found out what was taking place. So they got stranded here in Antigua. Not being happy with that option some decided to take an illegal boat trip to the USVI that ended in a disaster, with the lost of many lives. Since the boat sank in Kittisian waters it is the St. Kitts authorities to further investigate and charge those involved. So far one of the boat captains is on the run.
Any migrant smuggling that took place is done by the boat captain and whoever os involved with him. Not the airline.
Antigua opened a gateway that it did not realize would be exploited by people desperate of leaving the continent for the USA.
Canada offering that same gateway of visa free travel is now making sure any Antiguan qualified should have a USA visa. The same Gaston will do soon when he opens the gateway once again. Meanwhile Mia Motley is moving on having seen what happened to Antigua. But they are going with Rwanda. But in Africa Nigeria is the economic giant to go with.
@ From The Sidelines
you must have been the pilot in charge of the boat
@Sideline. Operating under your “hypothesis” an Enquiry definitely should be called. All the “slanderous statements.” As you believe; will either be the basis for civil action or be proven true and criminal actions should not be “sidelined.”
AKAASH MAHARAJ is a UPP Operative. Did not expect anything better from this Guy. UPP cannot do anything WRONG according to AKAASH MAHARAJ. SHAME SHAME.Q
I don’t care about his opinion. He is not even part of us so who cares. I just want someone to sue him for the slanderous statements he freely spout in the public domain. Once he is successfully sued he will stop.
@CONCERN
Neither can ABLP do NO wrong for GERALD WATTS SPEAKER, RODNEY WILLIAMS GOVERNOR GENERAL, RON SANDERS NOR ANTHONY ASTHAPHAN FROM DOMINICA – ARE NOT THESE ALL ABLP OPERATIVES?
WHAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REMAINING PASS3NGERS FROM THE AFRICAN FLIGHTS ON IS LAND?
CAN IMMIGRATION PLEASE GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF THE NUMBER OF AFRICANS THAT EXITED AND ARRIVED ON ISLAND IN RESPECT TO THE INFAMOUS FLIGHTS.
900 PLUS ARRIVED….
600 PLUS REMAINED…
100 PLUS INTERVIEWED…..
HOW MANY ACTUALLY REMAINS?
MANY ARE REPORTED TO BE IN THE USA WITHOUT USING THE TRADITIONAL TRANSPORTATIONS SO HOW DID THEY GET THERE?
WHO FACILITATED THEM IN ANTIGUA UNTIL THEY COULD SMUGGLE OUT AND INTO THE USA?
WHO IS PROVIDING NO WORK PERMIT FEE SO THEY CAN GET MONEY TO PAY FOR THEIR ILLEGAL TRIP?
WHO IS ALLOWING THE PASSENGERS TO BE IN THE STATE WITHOUT ANY IMMIGRATION STATUS?
A CABINET SEEMS TO BE FACILITATING THE SMUGGLING RING THROUGH LEGISLATIONS MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENED DURING SLAVERY.
Here you go again with your lies. The Cabinet offered them to stay free in this country, so your statement that they do not have any immigration status is incorrect. Yes, I agree with you that the illegal departing from our shores is concerning and needs investigation by the police. because if they did not leave here the legal route that means there is migrant smuggling going on. Which is not surprising in our Island where we do not control all of our borders sufficiently. We lack the equipment and the manpower. We see how Choksi was smuggled out to Dominica.
But to suggest that the government is involved means you must have proof and not just make baseless accusations for political sake.
HOW MANY AFRICANS FROM THE CHARTERS OF 22 ARE STILL IN THE STATE?
Excuses are for babies and liars. Adults take responsibility for their actions.
Proof
1 The government holds 20% shares in the FAKE Airline that put on the charter on 1.11.22.
2 The tourism minister is yet to disclose the benefits to the tourism product of the 1.11.22 flight.
3 The government provided the visa free travel for the smuggled migrants.
4 The government said they were duped.
5 How did wealthy tourist morphed into depressed individuals.
I wholeheartedly agreed with Akaash. They should be an independent public inquiry. Antiguans have seen and aware that Gaston Brown and his administration are corrupt soap performers.
Let’s not forget GB et al announced that that Antigua Airways was going to bring in “rich Nigerians” where are they?
Instead we got planes of economic migrants that are hand to mouth and scarcely that.
Not one of GB migrants entered Antigua legally, Let’s not deceived ourselves. Since when did Antigua agreed that West Africans can obtain visa upon arrival? Maybe that needs to be explore.
There has been no communication from any of the West Afican countries regarding their citizens. It is strange that their government hasn’t been in contact with GB’ administration to determine what has happened or happening to their citizens.
GB’s migrants has manifested on numerous occasions that their main interest is to smuggled their way into the US. His migrants have remained resolute with accomplishing that ambition.
It’s very clear that they were trafficked to Antigua, but their planning went wrong.
GB’S migrants took it upon themselves to take the risk and travelled in the manner that they left and to date there have been no communique any West African country
with a plan to go forward.
Does the broken Immigration services know how many of them still in Antigua?
@Sideline, Concern and all the political prostitutes, you keep defending this corrupt ,incompetent, dunce government and for what? A few trinkets? Why wait five years? You dare to accuse anyone of lies? This whole Gaston Browne administration is a lie.
Askaash is an objective thinker. Something you Labourites are incapable of.
Spill all you lies and propaganda, patriotic citizens will not let this rest.
When you lie you don’t want the truth to come out so you will say there is no need for a public inquiry. “We were duped”. Very incompetent statement
It is not acceptable that Gaston Browne just says that they were duped and move on. He entered into an airline agreement with a printer with no known aviation experience. What was really in that agreement? What are the circumstances that led to the duping? What if any nefarious activities led to the duping? How can this type of duping be avoided in the future?
This is why we need an inquiry!
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