LISTEN HERE:
Prime Minister and Finance Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed that procedural breaches occurred in the acquisition of government vehicles, acknowledging that some purchases were made without Cabinet approval despite a policy mandating centralized oversight.
Browne made the disclosure in Parliament after Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle questioned him about reports of irregularities, recent staff transfers, and the resignation of Comptroller of Customs Raju Boddu.
The Prime Minister said Cabinet had implemented a policy two years ago requiring all government vehicle purchases to receive prior approval to prevent abuse. However, he noted that this procedure was ignored in several cases.
“We found subsequently that a number of vehicles were purchased without the supporting Cabinet decisions,” Browne told Parliament. “As a consequence, where we felt there was negligence, we had to redeploy individuals.”
He confirmed that one official had resigned following what he described as “willful neglect,” adding that such a finding “suggests culpability.”
Browne also cited broader reasons for personnel changes, including protecting the integrity of the public service. He referenced the redeployment of a permanent secretary to the Ministry of Public Works, describing her as “impeccable” in integrity and recalling her role in halting the alleged sale of diplomatic passports under a previous administration.
Boddu, who served as Comptroller of Customs for several years, submitted his resignation earlier this week citing health reasons. However, his departure has fueled speculation that it may be connected to the probe into the unapproved vehicle acquisitions.
Government officials have not yet announced who will act in his position pending a formal replacement.
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Well lard de man say “health reasons” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You can hear the talk ‘round town in all sharwana shops…So how dem could buy vehicles and Cabinet nuh know? Others saying is just another case of people in big position doing as dem please and only sorry when dem get ketch.
After hearing the PM mention bringing in private people to work in Customs, some people uneasy. So wait, we opening up sensitive government operations to outsiders now? Dat sound like trouble
Well there was definitely more to the transfers than we thought. Some people eyes too long and they hands too sticky
With great power there is great responsibility…….BUT!!!! if no one is watching it’s easy to develop the thought process of it’s ok nobody gonna even care or ask any questions…..Very dangerous way of thinking…..
Woi yoi bwoi, the plot with Boddu thickens. No wonder he feeling sick! Sudden resignations or departures (see Anthony ‘Judas’ Smith exit from the UPP) should always triggers some sort of internal -yet independent – investigation.
While this breaking story is developing, I must go to my favourite food vendor to see if she have anymore bullfoot soup left (hmmm 😋 bullfoot 🥣), then pop into Epicurean for some popcorn 🍿 and alcoholic ginger beers.🍻 🍺
Where is @Less We Forget [He]? I always enjoy him defending the indefensible. What an irreligious comedic figure he is.
Don’t hide yourself away now 🤣🤣🤣
When I make comments on ANR, I do not make them out of some need for popularity, but I make them out of knowledge and to try and open people’s eyes to the ebbs and flows of life, and the reality that we live in.
Call a spade a spade so to speak..you are who you are.
I have said many things on this forum, but I said something recently that probably went right over some people’s head, and it was directed towards the correlation between a terrible immigration system and crime.
When you don’t know who are your neighbors or even those that’s around you, it is impossible to stop crime and corruption..so this governments penchant to bring in workers from all over with no proper vetting system is a recipe for disaster, both on the criminal level and the confidence of the very people who were born their own country/Antigua.
When you do that, invariably the people you bring in comes with their own baggage, so you are adding a plathera of unknown problems to a already terrible situation.
I have nothing against any other island or country, but that’s the reality on the ground in Antigua. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, because unfortunately so, they, the government really don’t know these people that they are bringing in to work or those who comes in the CIP program.
So the solution is to clean up the immigration system, and for this government to start putting its own people who are Antiguan’s in these very powerful positions.
It sounds simple, but the mediocrity in Antigua is what killing the system and is allowing for the corruption.
It’s better to hire the devil you know than the devil you don’t. At least when these devils mess up, they don’t just run to their own place of birth and leave a mess behind.
So there it is. This administration have serious work to do, can they do it, then that’s for the voters to decide. Corruption must stop in Antigua, period! Too corrupt for such a small island.
When you are caught doing irregularities and breaches in the private sector, you are either fired or asked to submit your resignation. In the public sector, it is normal for you to be reassigned to a different department in order to continue feather your nest. We must begin to seriously hold public servants to account for wrong doings. We set a very bad precedent when we simply transfer them laterally as if what they did was acceptable. Mishandling my money, tax payers money cannot be acceptable and normal.
Throwing the Comptroller under the Big Red Machine, eh Mr. PM? Less you forget, the buck stops at your door.
Many were singing the comptroller’s praises when the numbers for duties, taxes etc. were running high and increasing recently. This cannot be the same Comptroller who has now been deemed neglectful, or as the headline say “WILLFUL NEGLECT.”
A couple of questions come to my mind…
A…allegedly, he not only resigned, he has packed up and hastily left the country; now, will he be available to be questioned and deposed?
What if he decides not to cooperate with law enforcement, but instead come out with his own version of the events of the past fifteen years?
Elder Weaver statue ah wok #majic, sum baddy, bettah goh ketch sum, sumben, submen quik!
….Ah who #DELULU…
…ah who a bang, #LULU
…Comtroller Badda Baddo
…and, wid dat, RAJU grab his 👠 👠 #w_HEELS
…then, lakkah dem ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
…lightening bolt, or a bulket from a colt
..,BADDO is outta town!
…Not even Hussein can run him dung👣🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️
…RAJU, don’t you want your severance?
…what about your last oaycheck?
…do you have any lands, that you wanna sell cheap.
…oh gad! My gad! Your gog?
…BADDO, in one hearty leap
..,has abscond and left trouble in de town!
…MAMI, a hold she belly!
…and, start to bawl
…Gaston, tell me ; nutten goh so tarl
…uddah_wise, Gassy dem say U sarl
…’cause, even the blind is seeing #HYPOCRISY!
…de deaf is hearing #HYPOCRISY!
…de dump is lipsing #HYPOCRISY!
…as for, de #Jumbee_Picknee
…I am smelling, #HYPOCRISY
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
@Ras..bro you are the best.. 🤣.
@Brix I hear you too.
I think I read somewhere that “only the pure in heart shall inherit the earth”..
Uuumm!!!