Prime Minister Gaston Browne has responded to Kem Warner after Warner clarified circumstances relating to a Transport Board investigation that he led.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said:
:He who lies and deceives must have a good memory.
I made a statement of fact that Kem Warner (KAW) conducted an investigation at Transport Board.
Instead of standing by the quality and veracity of his report, this “ignoramus” has sought to impugn a statement of fact.
Tune in Saturday on Point FM, for the documentary evidence exposing his lies and deceit and the $658,000 that was collected by Kem for inferior investigative work.”
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More and more questions are emerging surrounding the circumstances that led to corruption and fraud charges being levelled against the former General Manager of the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board (ABTB), after the Prime Minister claimed on Saturday that the Cabinet was not involved.
In fact, during his weekly radio programme, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Dean Jonas, who was chairman of the ABTB at the time, “pursued that litigation” against Harry Josiah without the knowledge of Cabinet and he believes even without the substantive minister, Sir Robin Yearwood, being aware at the time.
Browne further stated that the man employed to investigate the matter – owner and Managing Director of KAW Management Services, Kem Warner – “became an unhappy camper” and “turned against the government” because the Cabinet ended the investigation.
However, Warner claims that he never received any correspondence from the Cabinet calling for an end to the probe; instead, he walked away on the advice of his wife because of leaks from the investigation.
“It was with several discussions with my wife, and my wife, who I should have listened to, said ‘you better be careful, it looks like they are just setting you up for a trap’,” he explained during an interview with Observer.
“After discussions, I said to myself, look, I could not take this any longer because it was a constant back and forth. Information was being discussed in the public before it came from me to the board members,” Warner added.
He said the leaks ultimately “compromised” the investigation led by his company KAW Management, which had three members including himself on the investigating team, supported by a police officer.
Warner added that the team reported to the statutory body’s board, which included the substantive minister Sir Robin, all of whom he “warned about confidentiality and how information should not be leaked out”.
In an interview with Observer, Warner raised questions of his own concerning who had knowledge that charges would be brought against Josiah.
“Whoever is behind that litigation has nothing to do with me. The PM can say he did not know, but I am just asking the question: if the Attorney General is the head of that whole department called Legal Affairs, and [someone] is to be investigated, shouldn’t the Attorney General be aware of it?” he queried.
“You’re telling me that the Attorney General, also acting Deputy Prime Minister, did not inform the Cabinet members of the litigation?”
In 2015, Josiah was slapped with eight counts of corruption and three of fraud for allegedly performing his duties for the purpose of obtaining company vehicles and causing the same vehicles to be transferred to other people by virtue of a forged document, all of which were quashed last week in court.
Warner said he was also not aware that formal charges were being brought against Josiah, who was not the focus of the investigation.
Warner stated that in September 2014, his company was initially approached by Jonas to carry out a review of the operations of the ABTB and the Antigua and Barbuda Property Development Company for the period 2004 to 2014, a probe that went on for almost a year.
He was also asked to look into the operations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority and the Central Board of Health (CBH), however, the investigation into CBH was not launched. (NEWSCO)
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WAY to go….Prime Minister call Them out. I heard Mr. Warner on radio. This Guy does NOT answer questions.
Was the quality and veracity of his investigation an issue? The issue of this discussion was whether you as the Chairman of Cabinet knew that criminal prosecution was being pursued. You always give some convoluted and circuitous explanation to exonerate you from everything. Please remember
Please remember the principle of collective Cabinet responsibility.
Guy at that time Dean was not a member of cabinet. However he was chairman of the transport board. He could not be made minister since he was deputy speaker. Think back you may remember the public spats between Dean and Robin. Government then went to parliament in part. i suspect, due to Deans actions and passed the STATUTORY CORPORATIONS (GENERAL PROVISIONS) ACT, 2016 which sought to clarify and limit the power of boards (to contract persons; Remind that the minister should know what’s happening)
“TENMAN” HUGHES who is talking about Dean Jonas being a member of Cabinet. Is your head like a coconut? The issue is about your idol Gaston Browne saying that he knew nothing about what was happening. We will all be listening to his nonsensical and ridiculous explanation on Pointe FM on Saturday. By the way, the Statutory Corporations ( General Provisions) Act was not passed for the reason that you posit, it was passed so that the government could willy nilly move employees of Statutory Corporations. Do you recall the Anne Marie Martin Issue at the National Parks. It is good to see that you have resurfaced, but very sad to see that your are still peddling your illogical and nonsensical rationalization and justification for your incompetent leader and failing government.
POPULAR,you say call them out. Was work complete to satisfied the Contract? If so, then the man should and must be paid if the terms of said Contract were met.Gaston,just hoping you do not touch that third rail.
#Follow
#da
#Money⁉️
It would be interesting to see what would’ve being #disseminated to the public had Harry Josiah and the other defendants lost the cases brought against them by Dean Jonas allegedly going behind Cabinets back!
Hope Kem get a good lawyer thar not afraid of tony asthapan, or jerry watts and Dorsett and sue his ass for deforestation anytime he defame his character on rumshop radio.
deforestation? Anyway Boss where is the lie?
TENMAN HUGHES even if he said deforestation don’t your coconut head know that defamation is meant.
@Tenman: You need to control your TAP DAWG.It is scary to come into Antigua and do business.Your discussions would be all over the airwaves.On that Pig Trough of a Station dung a Pint.
Brethren we all have our perspectives. Interestingly you argue Gaston should be shackled while his opponents should be left unfettered. Did you hear the lawyer for Josiah right after the verdict, a few days before the PM said what he did? The lawyer stated clearly his knowledge that this action was not pushed by cabinet. Did you read what the judge said:
“But before concluding his ruling, the Judge inserted that the conduct of the ABTB “leaves a lot to be desired”.
“The evidence clearly shows a lack if professionalism and the evidence clearly shows the dangers when a government agency collaborates with a private entity for political reasons,” ( see Harry Josiah and co-accused acquitted of corruption and fraud charges, prosecution to appeal
5 March 2022, OMG)
Hope Kem get a good lawyer that’s not afraid of tony asthapan, or jerry watts and Dorsett and sue his ass for deforestation anytime he defame his character on rumshop radio.
Let me repost a prior comment!
Kem Warner is a credible witness!!!! Gaston Browne is not!! It’s just that simple!!! Irrespective of party affiliation.. If you are an attorney and have 2 witnesses to choose from based on credibility, whose testimony would you believe.. Assuming your whole case was to be determined by the selected witness!!!
Condolences to you on the passing of your mother “Mama Hesky” 🙏🏿
Interesting, two evenly matched intellectuals, both achieving academic accolades and countless awards in the financial industry and breaking the glass ceiling at relatively young ages, this will be interesting. Well, even in Key West where everyone has a degree someone still has to collect the garbage.
Ignoramus? The Prime Minister can do better than that, he definitely can’t say he doesn’t have one CXC to his name, lives in a rental house with no financial assets and is an unknown quantum.
Which academic accolates and countless awards did the Prime Minister receive?
The PRIME minister is an utter failure.
2 billion in CIP money just wasted. Of course some went to the ghost cemetery. Barbuda airlines ( ha) and did some also go to SHARE Charity ( Wink Wink).
Gaston Browne: the worst Prime Minister EVER!
Same thing I was wondering about the Prime Minister’s accolades and qualifications. Diploma in hog washing? Why does all the dirty linen get washed in public? Why did Gaston have to attack Kem publicly? I think this is all a calculated deflection to distract us from the failings of this government.
Case done, let us move on.
From reading this article, the first thing that came to mind is ” I hope what was abused or misappropriated values more than the 658K Mr. Warner got.
My next though was, where the money come from to pay him that much?
Then, why didn’t the the honorable PM not address Mr. Warners claim that he never received notification that his services were no longer needed?
Last but not least, let’s what out with the name calling and slander, hon. PM, these matters are being fined and even jail.
Since the PM claims that Mr Warner was a comrade at the time, maybe paying $600,000+ was not a big deal. Now that the PM thinks that Mr Warner is no longer a comrade, the money and quality of the investigation has become a problem.
Mr Warner is a business man and he sets a price for his labour. If u want his labour, u pay his price. It is up to the buyer to put systems in place to ensure that the govt gets what it paid for.
I hope the PM doesn’t plan to expose the ineptitude of his govt. Can’t understand why this guy feels that he has to comment on every single issue. When will he realise that, in most instances, he’ has made bad matters worse?
The Prime Minister cannot help himself.
It has been said that the Prime Minister is his own worst enemy
Now we may just understand what really Happen to Nigel Christian.
Pity that money was not spent on trying to find out who forged the Prime Minister’s signature?
How much did Dean get ?
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda mentioned Kem Warner’s name. All Warner did was to respond your bull chit. Now that within you is coming out.
Gaston,are you going off your rockers? Kem Warner is a private citizen. He is not a Public Official. He has a firm that was given an undertaking by the Chairman of a Government owned Statutory Corporation. He did his work and turned those findings into that Board Official. If the Board and or the Chairman,Dean Jonas made the decision to pursue the matters in the Courts. Is that the fault of Kem Warner? Now you are leaking things to the Media about the monies Warner’s Firm made from that Investigation. Seeing that you are going to speak on it Saturday.ARE YOU GOING TO TELL WE THE PEOPLE,THAT NAME OF THE CUSTOMS BROKER WHOM YOU DID SAY FORGE YOUR SIGNATURE.WE THE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW. WHO THIEF ARE WE MONEY DUNG A THAT CESSPOOL,KNOWN AS CUSTOMS.
Only Gaston Browne and his family are supposed to make any money inna Antigua and Barbuda.Only they with insider information are supposed to get Government Contracts.How dare you,Kem Warner accepted a Contract from a Statutory Corporation and did not give the Dawg a piece of that action.That man could smell money on those who have it in millions.The only exception,he could not smell the money on the man involved in the Morris Bay Project.My guess,that man took a shower,so the Dawg could not smell his money.In the end of it all the man took our lands and used it to enriched himself.You Gaston have the gall to be going after Kem.Go after that man in UAE and get “our damn lands” not yours, back.
Antigua is run from Point FM “The Browne and Browne show.” Cabinet ministers hear things for the first time on point FM . Last week PM throw two of his ministers under the bus . He said Michael Browne was the one that went after D. Gisele Isaac and Serpent despite his disapproval. That he used up board of education money without cabinet approval. The then chairman had an axe to grind with Gisele and gave him free reign. Hey going off track but that where board of education started to get raped. They took trips to the USA as procurement officers for Sir Novell and continued until BOA was broke. That why one is now at state and the other carnival.
Did the leaks came from a minister who wanted to undermine the Chairman for going after his friend, hence the subsequent “No case submission” acquittal? Let’s keep our eyes on the public purse when they the Politicians and their Cronies enrich themselves from the Statutory Boards. The new Motto for Politicians id “DIVIDE AND CONQUER”! Are some people so blind to the fact? Lord help we pray.
All I know is that the TOP DAWG picked the wrong man this time. Allow Kem to grieve the loss of his dear mom in peace then he’ll deal with ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA’s Known IGNARAMOUS IDIOT AND NOTORIOUS LIARD. Kem can handle him.
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