UPP Chair chastises Browne Administration for going ahead with airline venture, knowing it was not viable and case was pending
United Progressive Party (UPP) Chairman D.Gisele Isaac says the Gaston Browne Administration exposed this country to scandal via the failed Antigua Airways venture, since he knew fully well that a lawsuit had been filed – even before the inaugural flight on Independence Day (November 1) last year.
Two Nigerian businessmen have sued the airline and a number of persons involved in the venture – reportedly a Citizenship by Investment project – for breach of contract and for ownership of three Antigua and Barbuda passports.
A court case was set to begin on Monday, March 27, in the High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, the outcome of which is yet to be confirmed.
Isaac contends that the Browne Administration should not have gotten involved in the venture, knowing that it had been declared to be “not viable” since October 2022 and that a court case was pending.
On Saturday, March 25 – weeks after the flights from Nigeria were officially stopped – Prime Minister Browne finally admitted that the airline is defunct.
Isaac is curious to know why the prime minister kept the lawsuit a secret.
Further, since the airline is defunct, Isaac is asking why the Browne Administration is not looking to retrieve the 10 CIP files handed over to the investors.
She says she is amazed that the Government would issue passports to persons representing a business that had failed even before it “took off.”
The UPP Chairman says the people of Antigua and Barbuda have been left holding the bag, yet again, as the Administration continues to show that it is not fit to govern.
