Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he was never in favour of the investigation which led to fraud and corruption charges being leveled against D. Gisele Isaac, the former Executive Secretary of the Board of Education.
Isaac was cleared of the first set of charges after a successful no case submission in the High Court last week.
Browne is now blaming two of his Cabinet colleagues for doing a “private investigation” which he says was not sanctioned by the Cabinet of Antigua & Barbuda.
“Unfortunately, there were one of two individuals who were very zealous perhaps overzealous and they went a head and did their private investigation.
“And let me make it abundantly clear that the cabinet did not sanction any investigation into the Board of Education.
“It was one or two ministers who took it on their own to proceed with the investigation,” Browne revealed while speaking on his radio programme on Saturday.
The prime minister says he should have insisted that there be no investigation but was mindful about not obstructing the course of justice.
“Now I have to admit that maybe I was not as forceful as I ought to have been and one of the reason for that is D. Gisele Isaac is my son’s God Mother and I didn’t want any body to accuse me of obscuring the course of justice,” he said.
Browne told radio listeners that this does not mean he is trying to exclude himself from the investigation.
“I take full responsibility because i am part of the cabinet. I am not trying to exonerate myself from it,” he added.
After court proceedings which started five years ago, Isaac who is also a former House Speaker was “exonerated” of three charges including corruption and conversion.
She still must answer other charges relating to salary increases she received while heading the Board of Education.
Browne says he knew that the charges against Isaac would always be difficult to prove.
“But you have to understand that it is very difficult to get a conviction based on certain circumstances, and I am of the view that unless there is overwhelming evidence, that is an absolute slam dunk in which you have the evidence and you also have individuals to corroborate what happened, it is perhaps going to be an exercise in futility,” he said.
“We all know that the UPP members plundered the country and there is no question about it but can you prove it, and that is where the challenge lies,” he added.
Browne said “I remember when this matter with D Gisele Isaac and Serpent first featured, within a matter of weeks I took the position that the matter should be left alone. Not that i am saying that serpent and D Gisele Isaac did not do any wrong, but I felt that it would be difficult to prove the alleged wrongdoing.”
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Admission that this was/is a witchhunt? Waiting to hear from the choir members.
Give me a break. That’s why we vote for u to tell your minister’s to sit down when u have to don’t be a chicken, they all look like fools.
What of the High Court and Industrial Court actions that she has brought for her wrongful suspension and constructive dismissal? Why the continued obstruction with procedural applications by govt-appointed lawyers?
@ANR This headline should read
“PM BROWNE THOWS HIS MINISTER OF EDUCATION UNDER THE BUS”
Waste of taxpayers monies.
There you go, fixed.
Thank you @ Dessalines . Mr PM since you are now confessing will you be sending the tax payers our refund?
Lol lol…I am waiting to hear what Tenman has to say about this one!
Crickets. his job is to tell us it is raining while they piss on us and when caught with their pants down he cowers in the shadows until it’s safe to come out.
This matter was and is laughable.Now the Prime Minister compounded it with his frivolous statement.And the blaming of others continues.This man never takes responsibility for anything that goes wrong.He is never involved when it goes wrong.He is the head of a rudderless Administration.Lie,you hear lie.That is lie.
ALL OF A SUDDEN HE’S NOT THE TOP DOG. HE BLAMING OTHERS NOW.SHAME ON TOP DOG. OVER ZELOUS ABLP GOVERNMENT. ALL OF A SUDDEN ITS NOT HIM, IT’S OTHERS. WHEN THE BALL DROP, ALL A YOU A GO A 1735. HE TAKES PRAYERS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. GASTON, YR A FRAUD.
I started at 1% after witnessing this administration in parliament for the first time in 2014. Now I’m 95% convinced that the majority of them including the PM are handicapped with dyslexia
I started at 99.9% and now I have thrown in Sideline and Tenman as well. I read his post and I am amazed that anyone could state so many halftruths and lies, when now even his PM support our position that this was a pure ‘witchunt’ that would have ended the way it did. Now, lets grt ready to pay for foolishness AGAIN!
Don’t cry too much tears when the fat lady starts singing ie this is not over. Can hear you then either imply or state outright your false accusation that the court is in league with the the ABLP admin. Interestingly when the court ruled against the UPP in the matter they brought against Gaston Browne and in the matter brought by Lester Bird against BS, you did not see this as the victors being victimized. Boss mek up your mind, the blinders causing you to fumble
Id like to hear anout the issues Justin Simon QC raised..
Additionally regarding the salary increase….that ought to be very interesting..
So you Gaston Brown forget that all this persecution was in the context of your stated goal of “using state resources to bankrupt” your opponents? Now you lose after squandering the people’s resources on your crazy witch hunt you blaming “overzealous ministers”! You just a damn fraud and a failure of a prime minister! Dunce!
Because the court dismiss the charges DOESN’T mean there was no wrong doing. Applaud when these things happen and let politicians and their cronies fleece government institutions for their personal gain. It’s happening now too, will continue to happen as long as there are cheer leaders for the respective administrations.
State sanctioned persecution??…that sounds like a whole lot of compensation or at best a trip to the Hague…
Me jus a laugh. Gaston u ar d best. U cudda stop the wasteage of tax payers miney long time. Lol lol lol
The Prime Minister is talking pure nonsense as usual and I think he would be better served if he keeps his mouth shut sometimes. What has become of the principles of majority decision making and collective responsibility in Cabinet? The decision to go forward with the spurious charges against D. Giselle Isaac was perhaps even more Gaston Browne’s idea than his silly Minister of Education. Moreover, he keeps insisting that his government does not get involve in criminal prosecution, however there is much evidence to show otherwise. Even his ridiculous comment on the recent sand mining issue is ample evidence that he keeps putting his mouth in matters that should be left to the Police or DPP. Looks as if he will never learn.
Gaston Browne.. All of a sudden you not de Top dog anymore? You are openly confessing to being an accessory to the WASTAGE of taxpayers money? Well truly you have become the tallest Chihuahua in a Cabinet of Mongrels. Top dog in a mongrel organization perhaps?
Mr. Charles Tabor
I know you are a blue koolaid drinker. When will you throw your hat in the ring and run for the UPP. I hope you will have RESPECT for the Hon. Gaston Browne.
I have to pay for this Damm foolish witch Hunt. O gawd put a han
This seems like a modus operandi of throwing political cronies under the bus to ensure staying at the top; two well-known instances being LB and AM.
You need to move to the front of the class!!!
Your gpa is 4.0, congratulations
Mr. Rupert Mann it is really the Hon. Gaston Browne that should really begin to show some respect for the citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda and stop taking us for fools as he would his sychophantic supporters.
Well his sychophantic would rather be taken as fools by him than by a bunch of dunce UPP leaders that took ten years and millions of our tax payers dollars to say they will lock up labour party politicians ad the advise by even duncer lawyers like yourself. An in the process they wrecked the economy and brought us straight in the arms of the IMF.
Just as in Jamaica or in Trinidad and Tobago, I am eager to see political parties in Antigua, on all sides of the political sphere, step aside and allow justice to flow in the name of the good citizens of Antigua and Barbuda. Whether Red, Blue or Orange, lock up all of them and gives us back our country.
I guess the Top-dawg lost his (back) bone.
Mr. Browne, please don’t play us for fools. We know your ministers can make no decision to do anything without consolation and your approval.
@ From the side Line tried to convince us that the DPP is independent of government and now you are stating that a minister of government was the one pursuing the persecution of Ms. Issac. Since when do government ministers have the authority to do private investigations of the citizens. Think you are setting up this minister for dismissal. You should ask for his resignation. Let’s see if the outstanding charges against Gisele are dropped.
i know it is hard for you guys to believe that our PM has a very different style of leadership. And as he says he rules by consensus. Unlike what your PM use to say. Whether I consult with Tom Dick or Harry, in the end Ah Fuh me decision. That is why this PM can come out in public every weekend and give account for his stewardship. Even you can challenge him if you want. But I guess you do not have what it takes.
Talking does NOT win votes. The UPP is good in opposition and that where They will be for a loooong time. Mr. TABOR ..You and your Son are against the Prime Minister for anything that He does. Please see the good for the benefit of Antiguans and stop playing politics with EVERYTHING. You are a very intelligent Person and I expect better from you. I sat in meetings with you and I know that you are very capable. Please show this side of you and stop playing politics.
Consultation.
I must say I am a bit disappointed with statement from the PM. Mr. PM you did not need to encourage or stop the proceedings. If your members of cabinet believe that they found corruption, then the matter should have been passed to your Attorney general and the office of the DPP. If the government then think that a case is warranted, then the government takes the matter to the court. Win or loose, you dont have to separate yourself because the government took action based on the evidence and the guidance of it’s legal advice.
It should not be a political process. Your statement is making seem as though the ministers were able to override the necessary process that should be followed. If that is the case, what action will be taken?
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