Prime Minister Bird says immediate changes in Passport Office and points to
other worrying activities of John Allen Williams

Prime Minister Lester Bird has announced that there will be changes immediately in the passport office in relation to personnel, systems and training.

Mr Bird was responding to the Interim Report of the Task Force established by Attorney-General, Gertel Thom, to investigate, among other things, the circumstance surrounding the application and issuance of an Antigua and Barbuda passport to John Allen Williams also known as John Allen Mohammed.

The Prime Minister said, “While the Interim Report has concluded that there is no evidence of any criminal collusion with anyone in the passport office, it has decided that there was negligence in the issuance of the passport. I intend to act immediately to implement the Task Force’s recommendation that the examination and vetting of applications and supporting documents are done by staff who are trained to detect forgeries and false documents”.

Mr Bird continued, “The United Sates government has offered to train our people in the detection of forgeries and false documentation, and we will take-up that offer at once. However, the evidence of negligence in relation to the issuance of the passport to John Williams Allen requires an immediate change in the system and personnel associated with it, and this will be done immediately”.

“The issuance of passports is a serious matter. It provides the bearer with the protection of the State of Antigua and Barbuda and is a testimonial to other States that the bona fides of the passport holder are true and accurate. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that all who carry our passports are entitled to do so. I want every national of this country, and every State in which an Antigua and Barbuda passport is presented to be assured of the legitimacy of our documents”, the Prime Minister said.

Mr Bird also revealed, “Apart from this serious matter of the passport, I am also deeply troubled that the Task Force has reported that other documents that it has obtained give rise to concern regarding John Allen Williams’ activities while he was in this country. As Head of National Security, I have been informed that my own safety may have been at risk. These matters, I understand, will be addressed in the Task Force’s final report”.

“As a nation, we must no longer assume that we are immune from criminal acts that we see in other parts of the world. There is clearly a need to bolster security measures here and elsewhere in our region. I will also be taking up this matter in the National Security Council here and with my colleague Heads of Government in the Caribbean. I look forward to the full report of the Task Force and the disclosure of the material it has found in relation to John Allen Williams”, Mr Bird concluded.