MP Lewis Calls for Termination of Rental to Prime Minister’s Son and Full Accounting to the Public
I am calling on Prime Minister Gaston Browne to rescind the arrangement for Government’s rental of the property owned by his son, Gaston Andron Browne III, on the following grounds:
- The arrangement stinks of nepotism. The Prime Minister’s wife sits on WIOC board which sold the Prime Minister’s son the property which houses three Government offices under her ministerial portfolio: the Ministry of National Housing, the DCA and the Land Office.
- WIOC’s sale of this property to the PM’s son was not publicly advertised, raising questions about the use of inside information to gain an unfair advantage over the general public.
- The Prime Minister has failed to provide any documentation proving that the repairs and improvements made to his son’s property represent value for money. An unsigned WhatsApp message without supporting documentation is wholly insufficient.
- The Prime Minister has failed to provide figures and documentation on the quantum of monthly rent paid after the expiration of the initial $1 per month term of the Lease Agreement, laid out in Clause 2.1, which ended on March 1, 2023. Clause 5.3 of the agreement provides for the renegotiation of rent every year after the initial 18 month period which ended on March 1, 2023.
- The Prime Minister has left many critical questions unanswered, instead attempting to deflect, and he has breached the public’s trust with his initial misleading statement claiming the property was owned by an “investment group”.
- The Prime Minister attempted to mislead the public with his statements in Parliament and therefore cannot be trusted to protect the public’s interest if this questionable agreement were allowed to exist.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne claimed in Parliament that his son, Gaston Andron Browne III had ‘some interest’ in an investment group company which acquired Government property, and which is now being rented back to the Government.
It has been proved conclusively that there is no investment group, but rather, in the most recent company filing for IF Antigua Inc. which bought the property, his son, Gaston Andron Browne III, is the sole shareholder and therefore the sole owner of the property on Friars Hill Road now rented to the Government.
This revelation is contrary to what the Prime Minister said in Parliament, and even as he was saying this, he knew that he was deliberately misleading the public about the arrangement.
In a recent article published in the Antigua Newsroom on March 14, 2024, entitled “Richard Lewis: Recent filing proves that Gaston Browne’s son is still the sole director and owner of the property Government is renting on Friars Hill road”, I showed the evidence and asked many pertinent questions surrounding the arrangement.
The public will not accept the Prime Minister’s refusal to provide credible, evidence-backed answers to their many concerns.
Prime Minister Browne must come clean on this highly deceptive arrangement and make every effort to right this wrong committed against the people of Antigua and Barbuda.
I therefore call on the Prime Minister to terminate the rental agreement, and provide full disclosure of all expenditures on his son’s property to date, accompanied by full documentation.
To be pellucid about the “full documentation” the public deserves to access, I call on the Prime Minister to publish:
- All expenditures on repairs and improvements to his son’s property, with the required documentary evidence.
- The figures for all rent paid to date, with the required documentary evidence, from the start of the initial term of the Lease Agreement, September 1, 2021, to the present day.
The Prime Minister must act with haste to publish the information I have requested. If he does not fulfill this reasonable request, I will write under the Freedom of Information Act to force his release of all relevant figures and documentation surrounding this matter, in the interest of transparency and accountability.
Richard S. Lewis MP
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Yes. Let’s give up the building we getting rent free, and only paying maintenance costs for, and have the tax payers pay rent for another expensive Government office. Genius!
Are you uneducated? Far more tax payer money is or was already spent in this process. Nothing is Free.
Rent free on this shady deal ended last year in March. Clause 2.1.
We have no evidence of what rate they renegotiated.
How are you so trusting of Creative Enrichment Browne?
Did you think it would be rent free forever and ever Amen?
Would you be happy to learn that the rent paid since March 2023 has been two or three times the fair market rate?
Remember this is the same IF Antigua that flipped 1 acre of land intended to create a beach park (restaurants, vending space, more jobs, new tourism attraction) when combined with an additional 2 acres of beachfront crown land.
Gaston’s son and his 1-man “investment group” made $2 million off a $4 million sale of 1 acre of land, while the same “rich Chinese buyer” that could afford paying Gaston’s son double the market rate, paid $130,000 (not 2 million which is the actual value of beachfront land at Long Bay) for each of two acres of our crown land.
Over 90% discount on OUR land to the same buyer that paid Gaston’s son double the market value! And all of us are asking if this was a setup up to this day.
Was the investor told to pay Gaston’s son double market rate, and then he can get back the money by enjoying the crown land giveaway?
You (Sick and tired) are also probably unaware, since you are so easily fooled, that Gaston’s son used a deed of assignment, and not the usual easily detectable transfer mechanism to flip the land. Why? I think it is quite obvious.
And even worse, the land transfer was facilitated by the Integrity Commissioner, Radford Hill. The man in change of safeguarding integrity.
Requesting all rental payment records for the Friars Hill property is spot on by MP Lewis. Let’s see if those rates make sense.
No more creative enrichment while the people suffer!
This entire matter needs full ventilation.
Gaston lied to us in parliament so nothing he says can be trusted, except by ALP minions.
He likely will not hand over the information for obvious reasons, so I look forward to the Freedom of Information request.
Keep at it Hon. Lewis!
ALP smaddy too thief! They need to go and find honest work to do. The corruption must end now. Lewis isn’t playing with these neer-do-wells.
The following is my opinion and analysis; and my only, and not that of Antigua News Room who is generous in allowing me to express my opinions
The public needs to know the details surrounding this purchase; for it’s likely to be: A property is acquired at no cost, and the tenant effectively pays the mortgage.
WIOC is a public benefit corporation which is subjected the government policy concerning contracts entered. WOIC board members representing the Antigua and Barbuda people are handpicked by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
Gaston Browne lll was a student at Monroe College in N.Y. when he formed the IF Corporation in 2014 approximately 10 years ago.
What was the date of the first discussion with Gaston Browne lll and WIOC. while thst may not be reflected in Board meetings minutes. Make all the WIOC board meeting public.
This is a public benefit corporation subject to full transparency in all business transactions.
The Board meeting will inform the public of both the sale and any transaction that will disclose IF Corporation may not have put up a penny to purchase this building.
This property purchase is likely to be a “No money down transaction”.
The seller WIOC provides what is called “Hold Paper” mortgage, which means the property have been bought on the basis that “tenant will pay for all improvements.
In addition the loan payments are delayed until the tenant starts paying”
WOIC “holds paper” and the tenant DCA is essentially paying off the mortgage.
That means Gaston Browne lll and his IF corporation only cost is its legal cost to get the transactions done.
The tenant DCA, effectively pays off the No Down Payment Mortgage with the rents that being paid which end up for a few years with WIOC as the mortgage payment that they gave to the IF Corporation
If you have the inside connection oven a pauper can do a deal like this.
Does not surprise me to see RH Commissioner of Integrity, named in unethical deals. He has no Integrity. ALP….GB, SB, MB, RH, CH, got this down to a science. I look forward to these people being charged for their corruption. They have taken enough of what doesn’t belong to them. They have no fear because they’re all sitting on top protecting each other. UNTOUCHABLE, THEY THINK.
@CountryMan Abroad
Wow! Can this be true?
1. No money down …not real
2. No out of pocket cost incurred by the new landlord IF for tenant improvements. Can’t be true
3. The tenant DCA pick up the improvements construction costs.
4. DCA rents, and the rental payments is the mortgage payment.
If true (no pun intended) it’s like no other deal known. There could be others but we don’t know of them yet
High Taxes are the result. Now you understand why your taxes are so high. And why we need to get all the details.
Country man abroad, move to the head of the class.
Now, the Gastonites and Laborites are going to attack you
When the ABLP community can’t deal with the facts, they follow the ABLP playbook. Attack and degrade; and try to move on. That is their only playbook.
Remember the words of the Sage: Rt Hon. Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. “When dogs bark the Donkey Moves On”.
When that does not work, to distract the public with promises that never get fulfilled.
Today it’s the roads promises. The same roads that were promised 6 years ago, then 2 years ago, as recently as 3 weeks ago when the staff went to Cabinet Meeting and gave details down to feet and inches.
The Play book never changes. It’s like Donald Trump when he is guilty, he attacks with lies and derogatory attributions.
The only difference is Donald Trump calls himself a Victim, Gaston makes promises as he recently announced the road program for the 6th time.
The ABLP sycophants and the Gastonites will not be afraid to embarrass themselves with their stupidity and lack of knowledge.
The ABLP uses the Ambassador whose salary is paid for by Taxpayers to conduct his negative research. I am waiting for him. He tries some shit. After his history is layed out; I’ll drop a dime on him with the US State Department and the FBI
Bring it on! Baby! I deal with reason and facts. They deal with emotions. I know the drill. I’m Waiting on Them”. Is there a calypso with that title “Waiting for them?” That me.
In the meantime, this is about a questionable purchase of a building.
The possibility that the purchase was financed by the protected cash flow from the leases (not abnormal) but in this case the Seller WIOC holding paper.
This issue is not going away. There will be another bomb dropped on a bigger deal; that is going to make the overwhelming majority of Antiguans and Barbudans head spin.
Message to the Prime Minister and his family. You need to open the books for we aren’t going away.
MP Richard Lewis says cancel the deal; I say open the books. Both entities that IF corporation dela with are Government entities wholly or partially owned by the Government.
There is no proprietary information that cannot be disclosed to the public. OPEN FILES is what we need.
You guys realize how Pringle quite while Lewis trying hard to win leadership.. u think he will get a heart attack when he realize Pringle beat him … Lewis is exposing his hand early … Foolish politican.. u find one topic and now u r killing it trying to gain support.. Lewis remember it’s not a general election so we the public u can’t impress … You own chairman is going to quite you .. Pringle will will then let’s see how u keep this momentum.. dunce…. U think Giselle fool.
@ Curious
SHUT THE HELL UP U MINION…..U TINK U CAN TRY AND BRAINWASH PEOPLE.
Giselle last night on Dave Lester Payne show expressed her support for Richard and the issue of the renting of the BUILDING sold by WIOC to the PM’s son.
U guys think you can use reverse psychology on people!
All of a sudden ‘dunce can’t read Pringle’ is being supported by y’all because Richard is a thorn in y’all flesh.
I was a neutral supporter in the leadership race, but now for what I see you minions are trying to do I have no problem if either man win.
Bunch a corrupt, tiefing politicians and supporters.
Richard Lewis seems to be supporting GB’s family empire by making such a ridiculous suggestion.
The tax payers already spend a 10s of thousands to increase the value of the shell and Richard wants the government to give up th building?
Well guest what Richard they will earn more from the much improved building now, so the government may just take your brilliant advice to make make more money more money for GB empire.
Crookston Browne only is concerned about self enrichment. Anytime he is wrong he try to accuse and abuse the person that talk the truth. Darkness really doesn’t love light
Antigua is not a real country…. If they can bury the IHI loan repayment rip-off of over sixty million US$60.000.000.00 this is nothing. Antigua people will soon forget about this ,just like every else and will be lining up for ham 🐷 and turkey 🦃 come Christmas.
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