Former UPP public relations officer arrested in Antigua

Dean Jonas was arrested and forced to spend the night in police lockup	Communications Minister Wilmouth Daniel	Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer was embarrassed

by Norman 'Gus' Thomas
Caribbean Net News Senior Correspondent.
E-mail: rc@caribbeannetnews.com

Friday, March 4, 2005

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: Dean Jonas, the former Public Relations Officer for the ruling United Progressive Party (UPP), was arrested on Wednesday and reportedly spent the night in a city police station before making an appearance before a city Magistrate Thursday, to answer some three charges in relation to what has been called the 'Tenders Board Affair'.

Jonas, described by the popular Observer Radio as the "UPP's Hot Shot", is also former Communications Advisor to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister with responsibility for Communications, Wilmouth Daniel.

Magistrate Court sources in St. John's, told Caribbean Net News Thursday, that Jonas, a highly qualified communications specialist, has been charged with approaching the Tenders Board regarding the planned sale of the cellular arm of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) Personal Communications Service more commonly called PCS, approaching a member of the Tenders Board on the sale of the cellular phone company as well as conspiring to approach the Tenders Board on the sale of APUA's PCS with the intent to gain an advantage. 

Jonas was granted bail to the tune of EC$100,000 with an upfront cash security of EC$10,000 and two sureties, he was also required to surrender his travel documents.

The drama reached the public domain last year when Daniel, speaking on Observer Radio broke the news when he accused Dean Jonas and Dr. Isaac Newton former Ambassador Plenipotentiary of attempting to influence the Tenders Board on the sale of the PCS.

The Spencer Administration had made a decision to sell PCS, resulting in a rush by the American and British communication giants AT&T and Cable & Wireless, Digicel of Jamaica and Sunbeach out of Barbados expressing a desire to buy.

One senior government official told Caribbean Net News that, Daniel's revelation led to a meeting that resulted in a very embarrassing development for Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and his government and led to the suspension of both Jonas and Newton. Jonas is expected to return to Court on Friday, the 25th day of May. 

Meanwhile the president of the recently formed Lock Up Movement Party (LUMP), Winston Derrick, is questioning the way Jonas is being treated. Speaking on the internet service of his family-owned Observer Radio on Thursday, Derrick noted that there are a number of other serious offences under investigation and mentioned the case of the missing files and the alleged missing funds from the State-owned ABS Radio which has not gotten the speedy attention as the Jonas matter. Derrick questioned why Jonas is being pushed to "the head of the class."

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