Antigua opposition legislator files defamation lawsuit against PM

ST JOHN’S – An opposition member has filed a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Gaston Browne for allegedly making “outrageous” statements against him in Parliament recently. 

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday and Browne received the documents on Friday media reports here said.

Wilmoth Daniel, a member of the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) through his lawyer, Charlesworth Taber, had claimed that Browne had made the statement during a crosstalk in the Parliament Building on January 2, after the Speaker of the House, Sir Gerald Watt, had suspended the sitting due to a disruption in electricity. 

They said that the allegations reportedly made by Prime Minister Browne were therefore not under the protection of parliamentary immunity, since the Speaker had already suspended the session. 

Daniel had given Prime Minister Browne a two week deadline to apologise indicating that failure to do so would result in the lawsuit for defamation. 

The January 10 letter to Prime Minister Browne also made reference to the comments he allegedly made on January 6, while speaking on a radio station, which he owns.

Daniel said he had been further injured by statements made by callers and is asking the court for aggravated damages. (CMC)