Lewis’ investigations reveal PM’s lie: son is sole owner of property rented by Government

Recent revelations about the ownership of a property on Friars Hill
Road – in which Prime Minister Gaston Browne son’s has “an
interest” – is raising serious concerns among members of the public.

Verifiable checks have been made at the Office of Intellectual
Property, which confirm that the prime minister’s son, his
namesake, is the sole owner of the property occupied by several
government offices, through his sole directorship of the
“investment group” IF Antigua Inc.

This discovery means that Prime Minister Browne, yet again, has
deliberately attempted to mislead the people of Antigua and
Barbuda.

However,  many residents are not surprised by Browne’s outright lie
in the Lower House. Some say that Browne was seeking to cover his
family’s self-enrichment schemes, forgetting that his statements
could be checked. 

MP Richard Lewis says it is laughable that the prime minister
referred to his son’s one-director company as an “investment
group.”

Further, it has been discovered that the lease agreement – which
commits taxpayers to rent at a rate of $1 per month – also
authorises the Government to make repairs and additions to the
building – although it is owned by a private citizen.

This has prompted one woman to ask, “Can taxpayers get repairs
done on their homes from the Government’s coffers?”
In a sitting of the Lower House on February 22, PM Browne justified
the rental of the property by saying the cost of the unbilled rent – at
market rates – exceeds the cost of the repairs Government made to
the building. 

However, Lewis points out that the Nation has not been told exactly
how much has been spent to improve the PM’s son’s property, and
by how much this expenditure exceeds the fair rental value up to
present.

Additionally, the MP says, “The public deserves to know if there are
plans to make additions to the property as permitted by the lease
agreement.”

Lewis notes that the absence of “verifiable information” on what the
Government’s future plans are, plus the real costs of this
arrangement, makes the $1 per month rental highly suspicious.

Since the taxpayers have absolutely no evidence that this
arrangement represents value for money, Lewis says they are
justifiably concerned.

He adds that it would be evil beyond measure to have yet another
creative-enrichment scheme of the Browne family unfolding –
particularly at this time, when ordinary citizens are suffering under
the weight of the prime minister’s tax onslaught and the
skyrocketing cost of living.