Stop Covering Up the Gaston Browne III Rental Deal and Appoint the Information Commissioner Now

PRESS RELEASE

During the May 10th session of Parliament, the Prime Minister promised to bring a resolution to the next session of Parliament to confirm the appointment of Anthony Athill as Information Commissioner. This has still not been done.

I call on Prime Minister Gaston Browne to explain why he failed to confirm the appointment of the Information Commissioner at the last session of Parliament, held on Thursday, July 18th, and to undertake this process with immediate effect.

Failure to confirm the appointment of the Information Commissioner, after nearly two years, directly prevents the people of Antigua and Barbuda from getting to the truth of Government Friars Hill Rental Deal with Gaston Browne III.

This is because the Information Commissioner is legally responsible for ensuring Ministries and other bodies respond to Freedom of Information requests, in the manner that the law prescribes.

On April 2nd, I delivered letters under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), formally requesting answers and documentation from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Housing, Works, Lands and Urban Renewal, and the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC).

The information requested included records on the manner of WIOC’s sale of the property to Gaston Browne III, records of all rent payments, and expenditures to repair and upgrade the property, the re-negotiated lease terms (agreed to after the expiration of the initial 18-month term), the tendering process, and correspondence between the property owner, the ministries and WIOC.

The Freedom of Information Act requires that a response be provided within twenty (20) working days of receipt of a request. Today, over 90 days later, there has not been any compliance from any ministry. Our people are therefore still without answers on how much was spent to upgrade the Gaston Browne III property, how much was paid in rent after renegotiating the lease agreement, and other details of the questionable deal.

Gaston Browne’s failure to appoint the Information Commissioner is clearly covering up the truth, and fighting against the peoples right to information about the activities and expenditures of Government. I therefore call on the Prime Minister to take immediate steps to appoint the Information Commissioner, so that Ministries are made to comply with the FOIA request, and provide answers to the public.

I further advise the Prime Minister that if no action is taken to appoint the Information Commissioner, legal action will be taken to get to the bottom of this matter, in the public interest to ensure that the appointment is made.

Richard S. Lewis MP