Heated PM accuses ice-cold MP of bringing IF Antigua rental agreement to Parliament twice – but refuses to answer directly

With a stern, ice-cold disposition, and not deterred by the ranting
and insults of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, MP Richard Lewis
grilled the head of government in Parliament on Tuesday, March 26.

As expected, Lewis sought to get Browne to answer certain
questions concerning his son’s company, IF Antigua, Inc., and its
rental agreement with the Government.

The Rural West MP inquired into the ownership of the parking lot on
the Friars Hill Road property that is being used by three government
departments within the portfolios of Minister Maria Browne, the
prime minister’s wife.

However, instead of answering the question, Browne first resorted
to his usual deflection and sought to denigrate Lewis and his
ambitions in the United Progressive Party (UPP) leadership race.
He then stated that the information being sought was already in the
public domain.

Browne also said the issue has been fully ventilated and charged
that it was an abuse of the process for Lewis to bring the same issue
to Parliament on two separate occasions.

He reiterated that there was no conflict of interest in the matter and
there is no benefit to his son since no rent is being paid.
Any improvements to the building were undertaken for the benefit
of the Ministry of Works in order to make the staff comfortable, he
said.

Further, the prime minister said, no one had been deprived of the
opportunity to purchase the properties, which, he claimed, had been
on the market since the tenure of the United Progressive Party
(UPP).

According to Browne, the property had been vacant since the
American University of Antigua (AUA) moved out over 15 years ago.
In his habitually snide manner, Browne then suggested that there is
another building ripe for purchase, and he goaded Lewis to use the

money he earned from publishing an Information Technology
textbook to buy that property.

And, yet again, the prime minister sought to degrade the book –
which is being studied nationally under the directive of the
Caribbean Examinations Council.

Lewis asked why the Government had failed to make public the
rental agreement between the younger Browne’s company and the
Government.

In response, Browne contended that the lease agreement is in the
public domain and there is no legal obligation for the Government to
make any rental agreement public.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne