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!!!
This right here requires a public inquiry!!!!
This is attuned to millions of dollars being removed from the public purse illegally. This is serious and should not be brushed under the table.
We have such a huge social fall in social security and other areas within our government require resources and people are procuring and stealing money though illicit acquisitions. PUBLIC INQUIRY NOW!!!
And yet still the ruling government says that they are for the people who puts them In office. No Antiguans capable of being the head of Customs Dept. Antiguans! When will you wake up?
He ran because he knows a lot more.
The whole tower should be loosing bricks just about now.
There are several others who can’t run like that Indian man.
👁 👁 wide open.
No shhhh 🤫
All will be exposed.
Gaston has made a fool of his wife and all his friends because of his own stupidity about things that are the norm. He throw his poor wife under the bus! Gaston only care about Gaston and making money for himself!
All I will say is, please let an honest and overly qualified Amtiguan and Barbudan get the job, please. I beg of you. Make the decision and who will fill the position based on merit, please. Please.
This needs a full public inquiry. This sounds far worst the medical benefits corruption. No one that is found in breach of the law, especially defrauding should be redeployed.
I personally believe that he was allowed to leave because outside of this he was involved in other personal activities involving- call no names. Too much corruption in that custom since he has been in charge. Don’t talk about the one now running up east and his wife doing brokerage services- conflict of interest, to the hotels and big supermarket chain owners.
Heard that the Ba black Had… is also away seeking medical attention. Shit in their pants. Pressure don’t only burst pipe- it also burst blood vessels.
We have hard working Antiguans working endlessly and cannot rise their hands above the water. This government owes private businesses and doesn’t care how and when they get paid. Yet a brainless idiot can be walking away with millions upon millions from our treasury. He is the contractor for the general house , so isn’t these conflict of interest. He is also the contractor for the big dog massive mansion.
If you are clean then call an entire inquiry into the complete government accounting.
This is caused by the self enrichment of the government ministers. So the sore is already spread throughout the corrupt government system. Public works is a pool of corruption , from top to bottom. They hire private equipment and have them parked on projects for days , weeks, months and they still get paid.
Again the purchasing of equipment for the road construction. Baba corruption.
Who is the minister of finance? How does these corrupt individuals get paid from the treasury without the the ministry of finance. One BIG Web .
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
@islanman26…
…Kaiso_Time, my brother!
…’cause you already know,
…it’s a part, of we #kulcha!
…and, it’s a way; which we preserve our history
…from mentioning, the plights of the poor
…including, all of their damnations and miseries!
…down to being use like crocous_bags
..,those thrown on the floor
…and used to wipe these crooks feet
…as, they enter their mansion and office door
…after, being chauffeured around, in their jags
…giving the people headaches, as they bawl and weep!
…crying, tek de wheel and please come help us gad.
Bambah do bah die
Dey dye! Dye! Die!
The people are tired
Ain’t no more tears to cry
Dem want fu see!
Dem crooks getting fired
And sent to prison for eternity!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg 🦶🏾Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
All the public inquiry talk that will never happen under Gaston’s watch, if UPP was in office he would be shouting public inquiry till he lungs buss
Me head,me head somebody bring alcolado, aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen and soursop bush foo me mek some tea. Lawd , lawd a wa a gear. Ya.Wait that little gal Dem put in a de Ministry mek one big mess that people a call.for inquiry.A what happene can’t get this toryy good tarl, tarl.Some man from some kind of Custume name some comptroller of Costume resigned and goe way.But a what happened when he resign and gone way..Me hear de pickenerga and Dem a say about some AliBaba and some story Dem read about Alibaba and some forty theives but me still don’t get the Torry good.A who transfer where and what Ministry but why Dem transfer a promotion foo more money or Dem just obtain Dem PHD..Me na understand Dem transfer Dey me go listen the radio and see if me can hear how the Torry go.Lawd you see me missed Franz because me would a get the Torry good and able foo understand.But you see you can’t put little children foo running.big people subben, it will only end up in corruption, dishonesty,fraud and confusion.Pls,pls public inquiry needed.
bben
@ Audley Phillip at el,
The system of Government given to the Colonies remain where the Executive branch and the Legislative branch can be one and the same.
Until that system of government which is broken and foolishly called a democracy is destroyed and replaced by a true democratic system fraud and corruption will continue and go unchecked
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