Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that the Government of Antigua and Barbuda will dispose of all excess or improperly assigned vehicles through a public auction once the ongoing government vehicle audit and reassignment exercise are completed.
Browne said the measure forms part of the administration’s broader effort to “right-size” the government’s vehicle fleet, restore accountability, and eliminate misuse of public assets.
“After the audit and reassignments are done, any excess vehicles that were not properly assigned will be sold at public auction,” the Prime Minister confirmed.
The announcement follows public scrutiny over what has become known as the “vehicle scandal”, involving the alleged unauthorized purchase and allocation of government vehicles by certain departments and state entities.
The controversy, which erupted earlier this year, has triggered resignations, internal transfers, and an ongoing criminal investigation.
The scandal first came to light after revelations that several high-end vehicles were purchased under questionable duty-free concessions without the required Cabinet or ministerial authorization.
The Customs Department, Ministry of Works, and Transport Board were among the agencies drawn into the probe, as investigators sought to determine how multiple vehicles were registered under individuals and government departments without proper documentation.
The situation escalated when Comptroller of Customs Raju Boddu resigned amid mounting pressure and accusations that his office validated certain warrants without the necessary approval from the Minister of Finance.
Prime Minister Browne, who also holds the finance portfolio, has since emphasized that only his office can authorize such concessions under the centralised policy introduced two years ago.
In recent weeks, one of the implicated dealerships, Harney Motors, reportedly agreed to repay approximately $10 million to the government, a move that Browne described as a “significant step toward restitution.”
Cabinet Spokesperson Maurice Merchant noted that these measures are aimed at tightening control, ensuring transparency, and rebuilding public trust in how state assets are managed.
The upcoming auction is expected to serve as both a corrective and symbolic gesture, signaling the government’s intent to close this contentious chapter and introduce stricter accountability measures across ministries.
“A drowning man will grab at a stray,” the saying goes,and if ever a man is drowning in corruption, skulduggery, malphesence, collusion and incompetence, it’s this fool.
He thinks all Antiguans are fools, and gullible to his sudden concern and care and announcements of minimum pay rate increase and other inducements.
He is neck deep in this. No matter how he spins and blames .Him and his,wife are the focal figures in this scandal . He weasseled out of the Ebook saga, said he was duped in the Air Peace disaster, used taxpayers money in private defense of him and his cronies,now he blames Harney,transfers people and blames everyone except who is really responsible..Gaston Brown.
When will we the people rise up and demand this clown resign?
Oh great, an auction! Because selling back the cars we already paid for magically fixes years of waste and mismanagement.
Government should also auction off old office equipment, not just vehicles. It’s time to modernize and declutter the entire system.
The proposed auctions are a necessary legal remedy, but the public also needs to see accountability for those who authorized or benefited from improper purchases. Administrative reform must follow.
Is the same set of people that winning these bids so ordinary people like myself wont even bother with that
We’ve seen this movie before promises of transparency, but when the auction comes, the same insiders end up with the best deals.