A sharp political clash has erupted in Antigua and Barbuda’s legislative arena, after an opposition senator’s bold claims about criminal influence peddling through political connections drew a blistering personal counterattack from the country’s sitting prime minister.
The confrontation unfolded during upper house debate over the proposed Firearms Amendment Bill 2026, where opposition Senator Malaka Parker made a series of stunning allegations linking organized criminals to top Antiguan political figures. Parker told the Senate that many known criminals store politicians’ contact information on speed dial, allowing lawbreakers to evade legal consequences with a single phone call. She claimed that suspects taken into police custody are often released by the next day through nothing more than a politically connected phone intervention.
The senator also opened up about a deeply personal tragedy to back up her claims, recalling the 2018 killing of her own brother. She alleged that the man convicted of involvement in her brother’s death was later granted an early release from prison and a delayed deportation order, privileges she attributed to his access to an unnamed politician. At no point during her Senate address did Parker publicly name the politician or the released prisoner in question.
Shortly after Parker’s remarks were covered by local outlet Antigua News Room, Prime Minister Gaston Browne launched a scathing response, directly accusing Parker of rank hypocrisy. In a public post shared alongside coverage of Parker’s comments, Browne turned her own accusations back on her, claiming that Parker has long been surrounded by criminal figures within her own immediate inner circle, and that it is Parker who has these criminals on her personal speed dial.
Browne also brought forward an unsubstantiated side allegation: he claimed Parker herself once arranged an airport meeting for a male associate she described as one of her “babes,” unaware that the man was already wanted by police and would be arrested on arrival. Browne closed his response with a folksy rebuke, writing “Gal, when you live in glass house … don’t throw stones,” adding, “Pick the beam out of your eyes before criticizing the yampee of others.”
Notably, the prime minister provided no public evidence to back up his counterclaims, and declined to name the man he referenced in his airport allegation. As of press time, neither Parker’s original accusations nor Browne’s counter-allegations have been independently verified by third-party journalists or investigative bodies.