Antiguan authorities have formally requested Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle to present himself for police interrogation at 10 a.m. on Boxing Day as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the deliberate destruction of telecommunications infrastructure belonging to the Antigua Public Utilities Authority. The incident occurred at Morris Bay in Old Road, where critical equipment associated with preparatory activities for an undersea cable project was vandalized.
Law enforcement officials have clarified that this summons for questioning does not constitute an arrest at this juncture. The timing of this development has raised constitutional considerations, as Antigua and Barbuda’s legal framework mandates that any detained individual must be brought before a judicial authority within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and public holidays. Given that Boxing Day is officially recognized as a public holiday followed immediately by a weekend, any potential detention could extend through the remainder of the week into the following week.
Pringle, who serves as the parliamentary representative for All Saints East and St. Luke, has characterized the police action as fundamentally politically motivated. The United Progressive Party, which he represents, has issued strong criticisms of the investigation process, cautioning that such actions risk exacerbating existing political divisions and potentially eroding public trust in law enforcement institutions if perceived as partisan maneuvers rather than impartial judicial proceedings.