Prime Minister Gaston Browne has vehemently defended his wife, Maria Browne, the Housing and Works Minister, against opposition allegations connecting her to a recent vehicle procurement scandal. Speaking on his radio program, the Browne and Browne Show, he dismissed the claims as politically motivated and aimed at diverting attention from other influential figures. ‘Just imagine the person who is helping to solve these problems—the person being vindicated—is the one they’re trying to frame,’ Browne stated. ‘What they’re doing to her is totally inappropriate.’
Browne highlighted Maria Browne’s pivotal role in reforming the government’s vehicle procurement process. Over two years ago, she identified inefficiencies in the system and advocated for centralizing vehicle purchases under Cabinet oversight. Her recommendations led to the establishment of a procurement committee at Public Works, chaired by the Financial Secretary, to ensure transparency and exclude ministerial involvement. ‘It is Minister Browne who strengthened the governance framework within Public Works to ensure that there would not be any such violation,’ the Prime Minister emphasized.
Describing his wife as composed yet resilient, Browne praised her ability to withstand political attacks. ‘She appears very soft on the outside, but she has this inner strength in which she’s been able to hold it together,’ he remarked. ‘She has my full support.’
By intertwining his personal defense with the government’s anti-corruption narrative, Browne framed the controversy as both a political smear and a testament to Maria Browne’s integrity. He argued that her advocacy for centralization exemplifies her commitment to good governance. ‘She sits in the Cabinet, she knows the process, and she has worked to strengthen it,’ Browne said. ‘So when people try to smear her name, they’re really attacking the very reforms that protect public accountability.’