Questions to the Prime Minister on amount owed to PLH lead to answer of ‘I don’t quite know’

Prime Minister Gaston Browne continues to insist that his
administration does not have a loan agreement with the Peace Love
and Happiness (PLH) investors; but he is unable to say precisely
how much the company has advanced the Government to date.
 
When questioned in Parliament by Opposition Leader Jamale
Pringle, on Monday, September 18, all Browne would say is that the
amounts owed to PLH are negligible.
 
He says that any funds received from the investors are from set-off
agreements in which certain sums are advanced against taxes that
are payable in the future.

According to Browne, PLH has agreed to advance up to US$8 million
for the construction of a cargo port on Barbuda – a project that has
not yet started in earnest. Therefore, he claims no funds have been
expended so far.
 
PLH, he says, has also agreed to advance about US$3 million to assist
with equipping the new airport facility on the sister-island.
 
Browne, the finance minister, says he believes that a few hundred
thousand dollars have been advanced so far; but he could not give a
precise amount.
 
Rather, he “suspects” that, by the end of 2023, PLH would have
expended the full US$2.8 million that has been pledged, and all the
assets to ensure a truly functional airport on Barbuda will have been
acquired.
 
As a result, Browne says, any amounts owed at this point are
insignificant.
 
However, Opposition Leader Pringle was not satisfied with the
explanation and requested a precise figure.
 
Browne appeared annoyed at Pringle’s request and advised him to
write to the relevant minister — who is the minister of finance — the
prime minister, himself.
 
Pringle admitted he found it strange that Minister of Finance
Browne could not give precise figures on the set-off agreements,
while Browne questioned the probability of him knowing the exact
sum.