Prime Minister Gaston Browne says corruption in Antigua and Barbuda’s public service extends beyond politicians, pointing to what he called “captured” officials within key departments who enable systemic abuse of public funds.
Speaking on his _Browne and Browne Show_, Browne said anti-corruption efforts must now target entrenched networks in the bureaucracy. “Even the Treasury, they have their own people — their own captured public servants — who they pay to prioritize their payments,” he said. “Sometimes a little man can’t get paid for the bread he supplies to the prison, but the big players go every week and collect their checks.”
Browne said these practices have created delays for small suppliers while major businesses use personal connections to fast-track payments.
He also confirmed that investigations uncovered cases of unauthorized vehicle purchases and unapproved disbursements. “They violated the program,” he said. “They go to the contact in Public Works, sign off, and then send it to Treasury and it gets paid. You only know after the fact when the vehicles are already paid for.”
According to Browne, those loopholes are now closed. All large transactions must be validated by the Ministry of Finance before payment. Cabinet will also review major disbursements weekly.
The Prime Minister said the reforms are part of a broader “cleanup from top to bottom.” He announced plans to rotate employees in key positions such as Customs, Treasury, and Public Works to prevent long-term relationships with major suppliers. “We’re putting down our foot,” he said. “We’re going to rotate. Some of these people have been in the same positions for 15 or 20 years — that’s not good governance.”
Browne said a $1-million allocation will be included in the upcoming budget to hire private citizens as validation officers to carry out random spot checks of imported goods. “In most developing countries, there’s a lot of theft in customs,” he said. “We’re going to have more regular, routine spot checks of containers. I don’t care who they are — could be Epicurean, First Choice, or any of the big supermarkets.”
He acknowledged that most public servants are honest but said complacency and collusion have weakened confidence in government operations. “It’s not that we don’t have systems in place,” he said. “The systems are there, but they are being circumvented.”
Browne described the initiative as part of his “national reset,” which aims to restore integrity in public administration after recent procurement controversies. “This is not about shaming anyone,” he said. “It’s about restoring integrity and rebuilding trust in government.”
