United Progressive Party (UPP) representative Richard Lewis has vowed not to let go of the controversy surrounding a government deal involving the Prime Minister’s son.
Speaking at a rally in All Saints West last week, Lewis promised to continue pressing for answers about the true ownership of a property on Friars Hill Road, which was rented by the government to house the Ministry of Housing, Lands, and Urban Renewal.
During a parliamentary session on February 22, Lewis raised the issue by asking Prime Minister Gaston Browne who owned the property. In response, Browne claimed it belonged to an investment group that included his son.
However, Lewis said his investigation revealed that the property was owned solely by Dustin Annan Browne, the Prime Minister’s son.
“The Prime Minister misled Parliament and the people,” Lewis charged, accusing Browne of covering up the real ownership of the property. He revealed that over a million dollars of taxpayers’ money was used to renovate the building, which had originally been purchased as an empty shell. “We spent public funds to fix it up, only to hand it back to the owner—who happens to be the Prime Minister’s son. Who does that?” Lewis questioned, calling the situation a misuse of public funds.
Lewis stressed that transparency and accountability are essential, demanding a thorough investigation into how Dustin Browne acquired the property and why taxpayers were left in the dark about the deal. “This isn’t just about property; this is about the people’s right to know how their money is spent,” he said. Lewis also highlighted that the property was sold by West Indies Oil Company, in which the people of Antigua and Barbuda are majority shareholders, and insisted that they deserve to know how their assets were handled.
In his pursuit of answers, Lewis revealed that attempts to gain more information through the Freedom of Information Act have been blocked by several government ministries. The Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Works, he said, either failed to respond or passed the responsibility to one another, leaving him no choice but to involve the Information Commissioner.
However, with no Information Commissioner in place for over two years, Lewis’s investigation has faced further delays. “There has been no Information Commissioner for years, and even now, the recently appointed commissioner hasn’t received his formal appointment. But I won’t rest until we get to the bottom of this,” Lewis declared.
Despite these roadblocks, Lewis affirmed his commitment to uncovering the truth. “If your hands are clean, you have nothing to worry about. But if corruption is involved, the truth will come out,” he warned, making it clear that he will not back down from the issue.
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Gaston Browne is not above the LAWS of Antigua & Barbuda, or the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Keep the pressure on this unaccountable Prime Minister Your Honourable and Highly Respected Richard Lewis.
UPP “Stronger Than Ever”✊🏾
Despite the naysayers …
Kudos Richard Lewis! We have the right as taxpaying citizens to know this. When I see the George’s man talking about 25 million profit for WIOC, I know he is part of the problem .
@ Watching@: Not understanding something here. Are you saying a 20M profit ..iS a Problem or…somehow the people making responsible for the profits are the ‘indirect’ source of the problem??
Please get me wrong if u need… about Richard putting pressure..as he must…but not making the correlation of Profits..may be something we don’t know?
put pressure……….but the Party is in tatters….. 👏🏿 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 good accomplishment. Idiot 😒 I guess you one gonna contest all the seats next election
GISELE PUTTING PRESSURE ON YOU TO LEAVE UPP! WATCH HOW SHE DONE PUT PRESSURE ON CHEVAUGHN BENJAMIN AND CAUSED HIM TO RESIGN YOUR BRANCH!!!
What DAFT, STUPID, WEK, SPINELESS, BALLSLESS PUNK YOU ARE!!!!
Mr. Pringle said that onthe Night of the convention, he reached out to Richard Lewis. De same Richard Lewis that BOYCOTT PRINGLE SWEARING IN CEREMONY after the 2023 elections.
Richard Lewis is a dangerous treacherous shark a SORE LOSER!!!
Not a word from him calling for unity. Guess he JAMAICAN WIFE tell him otherwise
Also, to show you are a good leader, based on half the country believed your government (ABLP and UPP) has stolen money, misappropriated money, abuse their office/power, committed nepotism, make their children and siblings rich through their office, to show the people this is not true, they current government to request a US team to investigate these allegations against both political party (ABLP and UPP) to prove that no such actions occurred.
This is necessary because half the country thinks the party they do not support has committed horrific theft, corruption, etcetera. A great leader would immediately order an investigation starting from 2003 until today, 2024.
I call upon the Governor General, Attorney General, and Prime Minister General to begin this investigation.
Any corruption found, all assets and fruits of that assets must be seized and return to the people, and prison time. This is what a great political party should run on.
There is a reasonable suspicion of corruption (bath parties) and even probable cause. I demand an independent body (US and British team) empowered to investigate all politicians from 2003 until 2024, and the government agencies they were in charge of.
https://antiguanewsroom.com/pm-browne-projects-debt-to-gdp-drop-to-58-by-year-end/?unapproved=409280&moderation-hash=b46070247d99a21f6117e96135c59296#comment-409280
I find Mr. Lewis’ harping on this particular issue to be disingenuous. I wonder if the PM’s son was not a partner in the company that leased the property to the government, he might not have been spoken of in the way he has. Mr Lewis needs to go investigate or call for investigation on the ownership of any and all property leased by the government from private citizens (the last time I checked the PM,s son is a Private citizen who should be treated just like all other private citizens). The fact that since the property has been leased the company has not nor is it slated to receive payments of any type. Mr. Lewis must therefore pledge to share his findings publicly whether or not the findings are favorable to the PM’s son. Politicians especially of this opposition party tend to raise a lot of fire in the public arena but when they discover evidence contrary to their stance they become silent. I caution Mr. Lewis that his constantly harping on this issue demands that he be transparent. Just like he raised the issue in Parliament and in Public political meetings, he must give his answers/findings in the said settings. He cannot continue to be disingenuous and a blower of hot air; he must hold himself to transparent accountability.
As a minister of the cloth, you have made the big mistake – once again – of politicising instead of caring for the weak, supporting ABLP’S policies that has seen much hunger and suffering in Antigua for the poor; and do not forget that water is much needed lifesaving commodity here that’s in dire shortage in many parts of the country, yet again as a minister you’ve stayed strangely QUIET on the above. Why?
Your political focus on Gaston Browne and the ABLP is troubling to many who perceive religious leaders as being apolitical, so that when any member of Parliament (even UPP and opposition members) step out of line, then ministers like yourself can hold all of them to account.
You are now putting your integrity and independent religious voice at stake.
THE QUESTION IS WHY REVEREND, WHY?
Brixtonian telling it like it REALLY is …
@I Live Here NOW,
What ever the reported profits. $ 20 or $30 million.
If the assets were not given away to Gaston’s son then the profits and dividends would be higher.
What “cloth” are you referring to??? The cloth spread over the body of the young woman killed by a UPP candidate as her body lay on Nevis Streetoutside his law office???
Or the cloth used to make the dark curtains inside a certain upp limpy Joe office?
@Rev. Gordon A R Edwards, PhD, PsyD
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. “This Reverent Dr. Gordon AR Edward’s is a hypocrite and a political whole”.
Edwards previously wrote in defense of the Prime Minister on an issue the judiciary and attorneys in Antigua and Barbuda. This is an issue that has implications across the Caribbean which was widely covered while crime is ravishing the Caribbean including Antigua and Barbuda Edward’s only jumped out to defend Gaston and further defended himself on the basis of:”Because you didn’t read what I might have said on other issues related or unrelated to the issue … does not make me a hypocrite.
It’s only one issue you seem to have an interest in; defending Gaston Brown.
If that not so, where are the hyper links to the issues where you have provided a balanced thought or opinion that’s not defending Gaston on these pages?
Psychology Today: a publication you should be familiar with says: The biggest hypocrite may be the one who most confidentially denies being a hypocrite.
Here you are attacking Member of Parliament Richard Lewis who brought to light the bogus deal between the Prime Ministers son and West Indies Oil.
I’ll await you empty and pathetic insults.
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