Is Asot Michael answering your calls?

Asot Michael, the former minister of tourism, has not answered any of the many calls which OBSERVER media has placed to him, nor is he known to have made any public statement since his return to Antigua on Wednesday.
While the press seems to be unable to contact the MP, communicating with Michael has seemingly been less difficult for some members of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
Speaking at Friday morning’s post-Cabinet press conference, Melford Nicholas, minister of information said, “Several members of the Cabinet have spoken to minister Michael. There are still fraternal relations between the MP and members of the Cabinet.”
Asked if Michael revealed any additional details about his arrest, Nicholas immediately said, “No.”
He added, “We had a discussion at Cabinet about the state of play and nothing has changed. I think nothing new has unfolded and it’s a wait and see game.”
Asked about whether Michael would remain on the board of the National Asset Management Company (NAMCo) the information minister said, “The Cabinet did not make any determination about [a replacement] but [Michael] can no longer fulfill those responsibilities.”
Last week Monday, Michael was arrested in the United Kingdom (UK) and questioned by the Metropolitan Police, and an official from the U.K. Foreign Office has said that Michael may be charged.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the public that Michael was arrested in connection with a U.K. investigation into possible bribery. Michael however, never said as much. In a statement last week, he merely said that he had denied any wrongdoing.
At the beginning of this week, Akaash Maharaj, the Canada-based Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) commented on the Asot Michael arrest saga. Speaking on OBSERVER radio, Maharaj said Michael had an obligation to publicly declare why he was arrested.
Maharaj asserted that if Michael wished to keep the details private as a private citizen, then he is obliged to vacate public office.
Maharaj further insisted that public officials such as ministers and parliamentarians are obliged to be transparent in cases like the one in which Michael finds himself.
“At the moment of arrest the police were legally required to tell him what crime he was suspected of having committed. He has not been forthcoming in explaining what the crime is, and that disappoints his responsibility as a minister,” the GOPAC CEO said.
The CEO also said that Browne will not escape responsibility for any wrongdoing which the former minister may have committed.
“Just as the prime minister has absolute discretion over who he places in Cabinet, he has absolute responsibility for the conduct of who he places in Cabinet. While he can mitigate the political fallout by acting quickly, it is impossible for the person who chose Mr. Michael and empowered Mr. Michael to escape all responsibility,” Maharaj said.