Browne Orders Refund In Vere Bird III Vehicle Case Then Seeks Court Costs
Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the Government voluntarily agreed to refund approximately EC$27,000 paid by attorney Vere Bird III on an electric vehicle, but he is now seeking to recover legal costs Bird reportedly owes him from separate defamation proceedings.
Browne said Bird initially received a 25 per cent discretionary concession because the application did not identify the imported vehicle as electric. The administration’s policy grants full relief on applicable duties, taxes or levies for qualifying electric vehicles.
After the vehicle’s status was clarified and litigation was filed, Browne said he instructed the Ministry of Legal Affairs not to contest the matter.
“We are fair. We are not bloody-minded,” he said. “I told them to reimburse him the $27,000 that he paid.”
However, Browne said Bird owes him legal costs after losing a defamation claim in both the High Court and Court of Appeal. That case arose from Browne’s public comments about a land transaction.
The prime minister said he had instructed attorney Jared Hewlett to move to have the costs assessed and seek a garnishee order against the EC$27,000 refund.
“I have asked him to file early next week for the costs that Vere Bird III owes me and to put a garnishee order on the $27,000,” Browne said.
This story was first published by Antigua News on September 15, 2026: antigua.news/2026/09/15/browne-orders-refund-in-vere-bird-iii-vehicle-case-then-seeks-court-costs. © 2026 Antigua News. Republication without permission is not allowed.
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Dimplz September 15, 2026, 11:15 AM
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