Tabor says UPP will not accept the advice of ‘anonymous’ UK King’s Counsel allegedly consulted by Cabinet

Damani Tabor, public relations officer  for the United Progressive Party (UPP), is wondering why the Gaston Browne Administration appears to be terrified of a commission of inquiry.

While thousands of people, including members of the opposition party, are calling for an investigation into the Antigua Airways/African migrant-smuggling saga, Prime Minister Browne continues to insist that no inquiry will be commissioned, since there is no evidence of wrongdoing.

Earlier this  year, the governor-general expressed his reluctance to call a probe into the situation – despite the Administration’s admission that it had been duped in the matter.

As a result, Tabor says the Government seems uninterested in having all the relevant facts surrounding Antigua Airways come to public light.  However, he notes, the people want to know whose idea the initiative was; who profited from it; what did the relevant officials know; and when did they know it.

Meanwhile, Tabor is scoffing at information coming out of the Cabinet Notes of Wednesday, May 24,  in which the Executive claims to have received legal opinions from two King’s Counsel in England,

who are agreeing with the Cabinet’s position. 

However, these attorneys were not named, which, Tabor says, brings into question the validity of the Cabinet’s claim. Therefore, he says, the UPP is not giving any credibility to this anonymous information.

As the public relations officer pointed out, a precedent was set by  former Governor-General Sir James Carlisle, who commissioned an inquiry into the Medical Benefits Scheme.   

Hence, he says, Sir Rodney Williams should do the honourable thing and respect the wishes of the close to 10,000 people who already have signed a petition requesting that he commission a public inquiry.