Lovell calls for Public Works Minister to resign over vehicle procurement scandal
Antigua and Barbuda
United Progressive Party (UPP) caretaker for All Saints West, attorney Harold Lovell, has joined calls in demanding the immediate resignation of the Minister of Public Works over what he describes as a massive breakdown in governance at the ministry.
The government has discovered that over $15 million was spent on vehicles without the proper authorization from the Cabinet. These purchases were reportedly made through the Ministry of Works, which is headed by the Prime Minister’s wife, Maria Browne.
Speaking on Observer radio’s Knight at Night’s program on Wednesday, Lovell said the vehicle procurement scandal demonstrates that the minister is either grossly negligent or part of the problem, and should tender her resignation.
“You’re going to tell me that you’re a minister and you have been put on the job to watch the cheese; you have been told that irregularities are taking place, look out, careful and two years later you have the scandal of scandals.
“And obviously she ought to have known and if she did not know it means that she’s not fit for the position that she’s now holding, that’s it. That’s nothing personal,” Lovell said.
He pointed out that under section 78.1 of the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, the minister of Public Works is required to exercise direction and control over the ministry and supervise the Permanent Secretary.
Reports are that two years ago, officials discovered problems at the ministry and claimed to have put systems in place, including requiring Cabinet decisions before vehicles could be sold to dealers.
Lovell said “when you have to resort to that, that is telling the world that you have lost control. You have lost control because a cabinet decision is an internal control mechanism.”
He stressed that ministerial responsibility demands accountability when such failures occur. He said ministers facing such scandals should not wait to be told to leave.
“When you have a breakdown of this magnitude, the minister responsible must do the honourable thing. You think the word honourable this and honourable that, honourable minister those are not just words that you just throw around, they mean something. The word honourable means something, it means you do the honorable thing.
“So, when something like this happens under your watch people don’t have to tell you to go, you do the honourable thing. You say I tender my resignation because something like this happening under your watch it shows that you are either grossly negligent or you’re part of the problem,” he said.
Lovell also criticized Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s handling of the matter, accusing him of going on his radio station to selectively present facts while shielding those he wanted to protect who were close to him. He accused prime minister of deliberately naming and shaming certain individuals without due process.
“He set himself up as the complainer. He set himself up as the investigator. He was the prosecutor. He was the judge, and he was the jury. That’s a dictatorship,” Lovell charged.
The UPP representative joined calls for a full independent public inquiry into the scandal, saying the prime minister’s one-sided approach to justice was unacceptable.
“We need to have a full investigation into this matter, and we need to expose all the real wrongdoings. We need to know the failings of the prime minister. Was it deliberate?” Lovell queried.
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