PM Says Friars Hill Road Lease Saved Government Millions
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended a leasing arrangement involving a building occupied by the Ministry of Agriculture, saying the deal saved the government millions of dollars and followed standard public-sector practice.
Speaking on the Browne and Browne show on Pointe FM, Browne said the ministry has been operating for about 18 months from a 12,000-square-foot building that was initially leased to the government on a rent-free basis for three years, at a nominal cost of $1 per month .
The prime minister explained that the arrangement allowed the government to carry out necessary leasehold improvements to configure the space for ministerial use. He said such improvements are normally paid for by the tenant, not the landlord, and are standard in both public- and private-sector leasing arrangements .
Browne said that based on an average rental rate of about $5 per square foot, the government would otherwise have paid roughly $60,000 per month in rent. Over a three-year period, he said, that would have amounted to more than $2 million, money the state did not have to spend under the rent-free arrangement .
Even after accounting for the cost of fitting out the building, Browne said the government still came out ahead financially. He rejected suggestions of impropriety, arguing that the arrangement benefited the public purse and did not deprive anyone else of an opportunity to lease space to the government .
The prime minister said the building is currently fully occupied by the Ministry of Agriculture and used the example to counter claims raised during the budget debate about government leasing practices, insisting that the agreement reflected prudent financial management rather than favoritism .
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Of course there’s no law that your family cannot invest, but what we don’t want are any conflicts of interest that’ll benefit your family due to you being the Prime Minister.
Funnily, I like the way how you frame this. Anyone with any sensibilities understands what you are doing in this one-sided interview. Nice!
However, if Antiguan politics had implemented some sort of code of ethics in regards to possible conflicts of interest, then your play on words about “family investments” wouldn’t be an issue as such, because they would be immediately be investigated by an independent body.
NICE PLAY ON WORDS THOUGH PM👏🏾
But there morals, ethics, norms, principles, conflict of interest, class, sophistication, international standards, international laws, statutes/laws and fiduciary duties that will tell you as a government minister, especially as Prime Minister, there are investments that you must not make, opportunities you should not take because of inside information you get as a Prime Minister, where the public does not have such information, but he does and take advantage of.
The sad thing is, that response is literally the answer of a corrupt, dishonest, and selfish person. And I am saying this as an expert in behavioral science, social scientist and legal expert (especially in terrorism, abuse, any criminal victimization, as well as in regulatory/administrative law).
Many people would have been able to build properties and rent to the government with the assurance he, PM Browne, had that the government would rent from him, pay him rent and increase the value/upgrading/maintaining the value of his property for him. That is a benefit he had that the society was robbed of.
I could have invested $11 million EC in buildings for th government of the United Islands of Antigua and Barbuda (UIA&B) to rent. Many others people could have too but the PM Brown did not share that opportunity and assurance, that he had solely.
I can truthfully say he is selfish, ABLP PM Gaston Browne is a selfish and dishonest leader.
There is however, something called integrity. An alien concept to you of course seems you’re trying to replace Bolsonaro as the new Tropical Trump. Good to see Antiguans never change, corruption is their nature
Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and Baldwin as PM had done that. Imagine the noise and hypocrisy that would have been on display, like with the selling of passports
I dare say that this serious case of nepotism and self aggrandizement is what I expect from any labor party politician so yeah, do what you like, say what you like Gassy
There’s also no law which gives you the right to swap useless garbage-reclaimed lands at Dredge Bay for pristine lands at Marble Hill that have exceeded their value by a million times. Where is the law that supports us to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for your defense when you decided to indulge in corruption concerning the Alfa Nero? This is the behaviour of a true narcissist.
Did I just hear Gaston Gaston said that no law that stop hos family from having insider trading and procure the top investment deals and government contract?
This man is openly admitting to corruption..you got to be kidding me, waw!
Yes GB, there is not law against that, but as we the people are tired of you using your position to get the first bite at every thing that comes into Antigua..that’s the big issue we have with corruption.
But I’m not surprised,because we saw how you handle all the recent controversy’s in the past 3 years. We saw how you were up front and center with the Antigua Airways debacle, the Alpha Nero, the millions spent on the lait deal, how you try to loot more money out of SS to put into the jolly beach deal.
Yes GB, we see how front and center you are to all these deals..yep, and the very reason you made yourself finance minister.
This man should be in jail. He knows everything in Antigua because he uses the privilege of his position to get dirt on others..that’s call unethical GB. It might now be wrong according to the law, but using your position to enrich yourself for your own benefit, is a call corruption.
A Charlatan will always be a charlatan. Dem can’t change, it’s part or their DNA. They use every opportunity available to fleece the people. What is strange his acolytes see nothing wrong because they enjoy the crumbs that fall from the large table. The rest of the country can go to hell and the Cabinet they see nothing and hear nothing
I hear you @Islanman26. The sad thing about the situation we Antiguans find ourselves in is because there isn’t enough critical thinkers or intellectuals living here in Antigua. Especially when you think that in 2025 receiving turkeys and hams from the government is still a big deal to so many.
This isn’t about tradition, it’s about control.
So when bellies are full at Xmas, then what happens for the next 11 months or so?
Going back to struggling to making a living again?
You couldn’t make this nonsense up if you tried.