Prime Minister Gaston Browne has issued a statement confirming that he did not publish a social media message which implicates the Director of Public Prosecution in wrongdoing.
The message, said to be addressed to the Member of Parliament for St Peter, Asot Michael, accused the MP of paying the DPP to protect him in the IHI Investigation into the theft of public funds.
n his statement, Browne said that the responsibility for the publication, including potential liability for any defamation it may contain, resides exclusively with the person who published it.
The Prime Minister noted he did not publish the message in question, adding that the matter including “the publication of the message was motivated, and is now being exploited for political and evil purposes, by several actors including the publisher, and political opponents”.
The country’s leader further stated that the Director of Public Prosecution has unequivocally and publicly stated that he received no payments from anyone, including any former minister of government.
“This denial is good for our country, and means that the law enforcement and prosecution authorities in Antigua and Barbuda are acting, and will continue to act in good faith, in accordance with their collective and individual free will,” Browne said.
He went on to state that law enforcement and prosecution authorities in Antigua and Barbuda are expected to uphold the law in all investigations and prosecutions.
The PM concluded his statement by noting that he remains confident that this matter will be conducted in good faith, in full compliance with the law in order to ensure that the relations between Antigua and Barbuda and the United Kingdom will not be adversely affected.
The statement follows allegations by MP Michael that the WhatsApp message was authored by the Prime Minister.
However, in an earlier statement, the Director of Public Prosecution, Anthony Armstrong denied the allegations which were also condemned by the Council of the Antigua and Barbuda Bar Association.