A British parliamentarian is calling on Antigua & Barbuda’s Anthony Liverpool to resign from his position as number two on the International Whaling Commission (IWC), over allegations that pro-whaling Japanese interests paid for his stay at a luxurious hotel in Morocco, where he’s attending the annual IWC meeting.
The Sunday Times newspaper in the UK has reported that a Japanese firm prepaid the IWC vice-chairman’s £4,000 (US $5,906) bill at the Atlas Amadil Beach Hotel, where he is booked for two weeks.
It suggested that the arrangement may be in contravention of the IWC convention which states that “the expenses of each member of the commission … shall be determined and paid by his own government.”
The news has prompted British parliamentarian, Barry Gardiner, to call for Ambassador Liverpool to step down from his position on the commission.
“To be in any way compromised by Japan, which is notorious for buying up votes, is unacceptable,” Gardiner told the newspaper.
The Sunday Times article stirred concern because Liverpool is chairing the IWC meeting where the lifting of a 24-year ban on commercial whaling is to be discussed. It is alleged that Japan has been bribing delegates, including those in the Eastern Caribbean, to secure support for ending the moratorium.
According to the newspaper report, when Liverpool was contacted last week, he told the reporter that he did not know who was paying for his trip, saying that he was “just aware of getting support through agencies.”
But the Sunday Times said inquiries showed that the Houston-based Japan Tours and Travel Inc foot the bill for his hotel stay. The paper said the company is said to be linked to Hideuki “Harry” Wakasa, whom a whistle-blower identified as the middleman who gave cash and cheques to pro-whaling Caribbean countries, including payments for their IWC membership fees as well as air fares, hotel accommodation, and subsistence money, when they attend IWC meetings.
The whistle-blower claimed that Wakasa worked on behalf of the Japan Whaling Association which is financed indirectly by the Fisheries Agency and the Overseas Fisheries Co-operation Foundation, an agency sponsored by Japan’s agriculture ministry.
The Sunday Times article related a conversation between its reporter and Ambassador Liverpool, in which he denied knowing Wakasa, but said that there was “nothing extremely odd” about a Japanese whaling association or co-operation foundation paying for his hotel accommodation.
He later said the Government of Antigua & Barbuda had provided support for him to attend the meeting “in a significant way.” Although not denying being funded by the Japanese, the story said, Ambassador Liverpool insisted that the country’s government itself was not paying for him.
The Daily OBSERVER’s efforts to reach the Antiguan diplomat yesterday were unsuccessful.
When the UK newspaper published its first articles a week ago, naming Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis among countries that were taking bribes from Japan, Antigua & Barbuda was not named. Even so, Agriculture Minister Hilson Baptiste told this newspaper that the country was not offered any money or aid in exchange for supporting whaling.
Meantime, in addition to the calls for him to resign, the Antiguan ambassador is expected to be under fire at the IWC meeting.
The UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon told the Sunday Times that he would raise the “serious allegations” highlighted by the newspaper, at the event.
However, it is unclear whether the matter was raised yesterday, since the meeting was suspended so that governments could hold private discussions to break the deadlock on the proposal to allow Japan to resume controlled commercial whaling.
Ambassador Liverpool, who is chairing the IWC meeting in the absence of the ill chairman Christian Maquieira, took the decision to go into closed-door talks shortly after the meeting opened.
International media reports said the move surprised lobbyists, as well as some IWC nations, who wanted the controversial deal to be argued in the open.
Antigua is an independent country, which is a part of the Commonwealth; formally know as the British Commonwealth. The British part was dropped after World War II, to acknowledge countries apart of that group striving for independence. 98% of the countries forming the body of this group were formally British territories.
Nigeria, Pakistan, Zimbabwe were all suspended at one point or another for reasons from unlawful human executions, to questionable elections. In 2003 Zimbabwe left after the Commonwealth heads refused to lift the suspension. In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos’ self-government after allegations of ministerial corruption. They are currently re-listed as a British colony.
The head of the Commonwealth since 1952 is Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, Antigua still ultimately answers to the highest court in the UK in accordance to an act passed in 1833; Judicial Committee of the Privy Council – aka last resort.
Although we disassociated from Britain in 1981 the UK indeed has legal right to lead the reprimand of our actions (the Queen heads the damn thing!) and unless we want to quit the Commonwealth and potentially face a permanent ban (give them a chance to get rid of us, they will likely let the embarrassment keep on walking) we should be worried. Knowing Antigua can’t do anything without someone holding their hand, or greasing it, this cannot be a good thing on ANY level.
They might be a bunch or hypocrites, but they are hypocrites with the power to make our lives even more miserable than the people we vote into office.
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PM Baldwin has a duty to the nation by recalling Liverpool, carry out an investigation and if the case is proven against Liverpool, he should be dismissed from his ambassadorial position.
I and many other citizens of Antigua and Barbuda wait for the Prime Minister to comment on this matter. It is outrageous that an Ambassador, who is placed in a position of trust to represent our views within the international community could bring Antigua and Barbuda into disrepute.
I thought we had seen the end of this type of monumental corruption after the former High Commissioner (the Guyanese renegade), to London resigned from his position when UPP was elected to run the country in 2004.
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People…People…why dont we realize one thing and do so properly before raining down insults on others….fact is and it is documented everywhere, the Anti-Whaling groups are stopping at nothing to discredit people like our Ambassadors. Its is very weird how we are quick to follow the media and run with things and to tell you the truth, this is not the first we have heard of such….the Anti-whaling groups have always done this and the Pro-Whaling groups do the same to them…its all running on peoples emotions so that we have issues like this now becoming like some sort of news. Its ridiculous and we gotta be more sensible than this…how many agencies pay for ambassadors from all over the world to be part of different conferences? Too many to mention. The thing is this is not something that this British person is for so he brings to the floor what he deems to be bribes. So what now for all the British diplomats and others around the world going to conferences bankrolled by the different agencies….BIG DEAL I SAY.
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This just proves the point that it is rediculous trying to maintain the illusion of all these so called mini nations, which only benifit the political class and their friends.It is not economically feasible to continue this farce without the bribes from the rich countries to do their bidding and vote for their cause when it suites them. Real independence can only be achieve when the Eastern Caribbean States form one nation. However, that will be difficult to accomplish because most of these politicians in power in their little so called nations do not ever want to give up their previlege lifestyles.
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I could never claim that officials and polititions in antigua don’t accept bribes, it is a shame but they do. But, the last people in the world to be holier-than-thou
are british politicians: their country got rich and they enjoyed an optulent lifestyle from the misery and degradation of others. Just ask the british parliamentarians about their expence accounts. such hypocrites
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Curious Onlooker
The British parliament cannot revoke Antigua’s constitution. Antigua is legally different from countries like Turks and Caicos, Montserrat and so on.
Try to educate yourself before you make a fool of yourself.
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Farnsworth you need to go take a flying leap!
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JPF, so every room in the entire hotel has the same rate of $149, or did your fact checking consist entirely of checking the price of the cheapest room on tripadvisor?
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@ ‘Thinking Straight’:
If you think it’s ok for the Ambassador to have the Japanese pay for his hotel or any other expense,given the nature of the commission’s work and their involvement,then your thinking is far from being ‘straight’.
And for Hilston Baptiste to imply that because our country ‘wasn’t offered any money or aid in exchange for supporting whaling’ no harm has been committed,is sheer nonsense as the very appearance of impropriety should have been avoided.
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eli this is news it was in a British News Paper. NOW WHO GOT THE WHALE AND FUNJI FOR LUNCH
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Thinking Straight you got me al F bent up. you are so tipical. I know you with no doubt work for the government. Just because everybody does something does not make it right. Why would Antigua support Whaling? other than someone is paying us to? The fact that he is a voting member of that international body put Antigua in a bad light. I believe we should not be participating in such forums because of the expence and the fact that these issues does no involve us. Just the look of an irregularity is grounds for dismissal
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all you all love money JP Farnsworth how much tax you pay for all the years the ALP allowed you to stay here for free go pay you English tax you evaded for years
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I am against petty corruption as well as institutional corruption. this should not have taken place, but lobbyist take care of those who vote in their interess every day That is what “K” Street in Washington D.C. is all about.
People like Barry Gardner should be running for cover and be installed in a House of Shame. Gardner thinks he and his former slave holding families can dictate to the Colonies. He has lived a prevailed life having inherited the spoils of slavery. He should be ashamed of himself.
Children of Slaves need to make their voices heard against demagogues like Gardner. We should be asking equal access to Rodolph “The Bigot” Murdock’s paper The Times and Gardner needs to be featuring articles on British Petroleum (BP) and the environmental disaster of a lifetime in the Gulf states.
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THANK U ECONOMIST THANK U JP FARNSWORTH,THEM NEED TO TALK ABOUT OIL THE MESS IT REAL STINKS.
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Like we didn’t know this all along??? Pathetic, why do we have to have people like this running our country and making these decisions? Antiguans need to realize that’s it’s all in their hands. Politicians are supposed to work ON BEHALF of the people and common good, no the other way around.
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Did anyone bother to google this hotel? It’s a dive and the price the idiot quoted is nutz. The hotel rate is 149.00 USD a night.
They should pay Liverpool to stay there read the reviews, it’s noisy and dirty. I sincerly doubt this bozo from Britan bothered to check his/her facts and just made this up.
Barry Gardiner should be made to pay the hotel bill. Actually he is probably just upset because Liverpool got a room with a better view.
Mostly Gardiner should be charged with rumor mongering since mostly he does not like the Antiguan position on whaling. I don’t like it either but I will not make stuff up.
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Why are we always so quick to cry down our own. Before this British Parlimentarian decide to critisize us, for supporting Japan whaling position, I would prefer to hear him critisize BP for the damage it is going to the Golf Coast reagion, which may untimately affect us. Maybe if Mr. British Parlimentarian’s ancestors did not take all they could get from Antigua and then left us high and dry when there wasn’t anything left, we would not have to turn to countries which throw a couple of dollars to us.
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Be careful Antiguan Abroad! If you are so outspoken the Government will try to take away your constitutional right to vote.
Oh wait. Too late, they already doing that now!
Maybe when the totality of corruption is sufficiently obvious that it can no longer be ignored the British Parliament will revoke the constitution and put Antigua back under colonial rule, just as they did in Turks and Caicos!
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I often pray that bloggers would display some objectivity and analyze statements carefully, before rushing to judgement, particularly where it concerns ones integrity. Even if a pro-whaling group financed his trip to Morocco, so what? It is accepted practice for Governments (including the US, UK and Canada) and agencies such as Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID, CIDA, DIFID, CARICOM, the EU and other regional and international agencies, to pay airfare, accommodation and per diem for persons from developing countries to attend various meetings, conferences, and fora.
What needs to be understood is that anti-whaling nations are attempting to discredit anyone opposed to their views. Unfortunately, we seem to be giving fodder to their efforts to discredit our own nation.
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As long as there is a buck to be had Antiguan governments will sell their soul. That’s why we are in the Stanford fiasco re Mr King. We do every thing possible to kill our image and our piece of the tourist pie
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What’s surprising here? I surmise that the vast majority of Antiguan politicians, past and present, are/were involved in corrupt practices and skulduggery. How else could politicians of previously limited financial resources suddenly acquire the trappings of material wealth after taking public office? Unless the Antiguan people demand accountability from these folks, it will continue unabated. I suggest that a detailed financial audit (by a politically independent body) be conducted on any politician that is suspected or accused of this type of corruption. If they have nothing to hide (which they should not if their hands are clean), then there should be no objections to such audits. If any politician refuses to consent to an independent audit or if there is compelling evidence to support a prima facie case of corruption, then they should be immediately stripped of their political and/or governmental position(s) pending the outcome of criminal charges against them. Those found guilty should be permanently stripped of their positions and given stiff prison sentences and fines. Only then will true “sunshine” exist in Antiguan politics.
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This isn’t even news unless you are deaf, dumb, and blind.
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If there is any truth to this allegation, yet another horrorifying blow to our beloved country “Antigua and Barbuda”. When is the corruption going to STOP, GOVERNMENT, and the interest of the “people and country” by whom you are employed will be placed as top priority?!!! Take self-interest out of the equation for just once, and if you ever feel so compelled to think about “self” try SELFLESS SERVICE, it is exhilarating and utterly gratifying!
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Say it isn’t so Ambassador!
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Finally exposure…………………
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WHATS NEW? LOOK AROUND ANTIGUA/BARBUDA..WE HAVE FIVE FISHERIES PLANT SUPPLIED BY THE JAPANESE GOV’T. WHY ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT FLIGHT TICKET AND HOTEL ACCOMODATION? BRIDE IN THE NORM IN THIS COUNTRY. AS IT WAS IN THE PAST( ALP) SO IT IS IN THE PRESENT( UPP) AND SO IT WILL ALWAYS BE UNTIL CHRIST COMES.
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