By Carlena Knight
Controversial comments made by Prime Minister Gaston Browne regarding slain Customs officer Nigel Christian are continuing to ignite tension as those accused of killing Christian prepare to head back to court today.
Harold Lovell, the leader of the main opposition party, did not mince words when referring to Browne’s remarks made at a recent town hall meeting with Antiguans and Barbudans in New York.
The video of Browne speaking has been making the rounds on social media with many sharing their displeasure, disgust and disdain at the PM’s inference that Christian was involved in corrupt activity.
On July 10 2020, 44-year-old Christian was abducted from his McKinnons home. The high-ranking official’s bullet-riddled body was found hours later in the Thibou area.
The incident shocked the nation and triggered a series of protests demanding justice.
In April 2021, three men— Lasean Bully, 30, of Cashew Hill; Wayne Thomas, 28, of Hatton; and 30-year-old Saleim Harrigan, of Greenbay — were charged with killing Christian and remanded to prison while they await their committal hearing.
The matter has since been adjourned several times, with the trio still waiting to hear whether there is enough evidence against them for their case to be sent to the High Court.
The committal hearing is now scheduled for today.
Lovell said the PM’s comments were “nasty, cold, heartless, insensitive, and narcissistic” while speaking on the Connecting with Dave Lester Payne showon Monday afternoon.
“The Prime Minister says the matter is before the courts; when you say that, you expect that to mean he will not say anything that could prejudice the outcome of the trial, but then he goes on to make the most outrageous comments.
“When you listen to it, you wonder is this really what this man is saying? Is he so dumb? Is he so callous that he could really be saying something like this man was involved in some kind of nefarious activities and that’s why he met his death?
“Is that what he is saying? Is he trying to confuse people? Is he trying to throw doubt? Is he trying to protect the perpetrators?
“These are questions that people are entitled to ask. Why would he do such a thing, and then he went on to say what is the unkindest cut of all … that some of the people who are making an issue out of a death of a Customs officer who was kidnapped and brutally murdered, he is saying that some people are living under what has been left behind. What is he saying!? What is he saying to these people?” Lovell asked.
Browne’s comments, Lovell said, beg the question of whether the PM has information on the incident that he is withholding from law enforcement.
“Now, if they do have such information, then shouldn’t this information be the result of a proper police report which is a matter that the police have chosen not to share with the public?
“Why would he go to a public forum in New York and begin to expose things that he claims that he has?” Lovell asked.
These comments, Lovell added, must have been especially tough for Christian’s mother who was also attacked and saw her son kidnapped from their home.
“I have never heard anything like this coming from a senior member of any government. I am shocked that the Prime Minister could actually shock me by going lower than he has gone before, than I even thought he was capable of going and it is to be condemned,” Lovell said.
He described the comments as “unpardonable” and called on the public to also condemn Browne’s remarks.
Lovell went a step further to call on Antigua Barbuda Labour Party Senator Gail Christian, a family member of the slain Customs worker, to speak on the matter.
“I want to know if Senator Gail Christian has anything to say on this because it’s her family and I want to know if to her this is okay.
“I want to know and, by the way, I am not being personal in this sense, I am dealing with this within the context of something that the Prime Minister has done which is insensitive and out of order, for a Prime Minister to bring this sort of matter into the public domain unless he is prepared to make a firm statement one way or the other, but to do it in this sneaky way where he is saying it but not saying it so he can be able to back away from it when the time comes is nasty,” he added.
A spokesman for the Christian family told Observer they were “contemplating the next move” in light of Browne’s comments.