Member of Parliament for St John’s Rural West Richard Lewis has made progress in his efforts to obtain documents from at least three agencies regarding the rental agreement involving the prime minister’s son and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.
Gaston Andron Browne III’s company, IF Antigua Inc., reportedly acquired the Friars Hill Road property from West Indies Oil Company Limited (WIOC). The property serves as the location for three governmental offices: the Ministry of National Housing, the Development Control Authority (DCA), and the Land Office.
Lewis is seeking details about the rental agreement following reports that taxpayers of Antigua and Barbuda spent nearly one million dollars to refurbish the building.
Observer media reached out to MP Lewis yesterday for an update on his quest for information pertaining to the property.
The MP said it has been a struggle to obtain the information needed, but the Ministry of Works has released some documents.
“I must say that I’m working with the Information Commissioner, and he has been quite responsive. I think you have perfect timing because I received an email from him [last Thursday] morning and a WhatsApp directing that he would have sent the email.
“Before that, he wrote to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Works, and West Indies Oil Company Limited indicating that they need to comply with the request and to furnish him, the Information Commissioner, with the information. So, [lastThursday) I received an email and that was information coming from the Ministry of Works through the Information Commissioner with respect to the request,” Lewis said.
Lewis stated that he will meticulously review the documents to ascertain that all actions were conducted in accordance with proper procedures, particularly concerning the rental agreement and the involvement of the Ministry of Works.
“There are a few documents; I have not gone through them in any detail, but they seem to be documents providing some form of information with respect to the request. I’ll have to go through to see if they would have satisfied what it is that I’m looking for,” the MP said.
Lewis is still awaiting responses from the Ministry of Finance and West Indies Oil Company Limited. He noted, however, that there is a specified timeline by which they would have to respond to the Information Commissioner based on existing legislation.
He views the Ministry of Works’ response to the Information Commissioner as a “positive sign”.
“But I think it’s important that government agencies and institutions respect our laws here in Antigua and Barbuda. If there is a request for information, you provide the information. So, I mean, this has been going on for well over a year and I have to go through the Information Commissioner in order to get information that should be in the public domain in the first instance.
“And this is a challenge that I’ve been facing with this ABLP administration, the Gaston Browne-led administration — the lack of accountability and transparency [in government]. Once you are transparent to the people, once you provide information, put that information out in the public domain, then you have very little to worry about. But this is how they have been operating,” Lewis said.
“And I ask the question, when are we going to get it right here in Antigua and Barbuda? When?”
Lewis said that the Information Commissioner, Anthony Kurt Athill, is “on top of things” and he will be monitoring the situation to ensure that he gets all the required information.
Meanwhile, radio talk show host and community and social activist William “Zeze” Thomas has also written to the relevant authorities under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information about the contract between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Marvelous Mike Press about the now defunct Antigua Airways.
The Gaston Browne administration had sought to establish an air bridge between the African continent and Antigua and Barbuda. The company, through chartered flights, brought several West Africans to Antigua and Barbuda.
Many allegedly made their way to other jurisdictions in the hopes of reaching the US mainland. However, 17 Africans perished at sea in late March 2023, and there were calls made for a public inquiry into the Antigua Airways/African migrant smuggling saga.
Thomas said his quest to get the information he desires has proven futile.
“So, I wrote to the PS [Permanent Secretary] for Civil Aviation, on — I think — the 20th of February. We’re in April now, and you have 21 days to respond.
“I have gotten no response whatsoever, not even to say, I received this because I hand, went and hand-delivered it myself to the office. So, I expected then that you would say, I received such,” Thomas said.
Like Lewis, Thomas said he will be going through the Information Commissioner for review of his request and to obtain the required documents.
