The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly has launched an attack on the last Governor and police service and compared them to a lynch mob.

Derrick Burgess said reports that Ewart Brown, a former Progressive Labour Party premier, was to face corruption charges after a nine year police investigation showed “malicious” intent.

He added: “We have Dr Brown, who as we understand it, is going to be charged with corruption – an investigation that has gone on for almost ten years.

“Dr Brown has faced this malicious prosecution led by Government House.

“In the constitution it says that if somebody is charged and if the case is not dealt with in a reasonable time, then the charge must be withdrawn. Well, the question is what is reasonable time?

“I can tell you, for somebody who hasn’t been charged, ten years is unreasonable, spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money having no regard for the financial position people are in.”

Mr Burgess said: “This malicious prosecution of Dr Brown must stop. I don’t think there is another citizen of the Commonwealth who has been investigated this long

“And the danger of being investigated for ten years is they – the police – get embarrassed, and they will come up with any charges.”

Mr Burgess, speaking in the House of Assembly last Friday, said he believed the investigation into Dr Brown had cost $8 million so far.

He asked: “How much more is going to be spent to try to convict Dr Brown of corruption?

“Dr Brown left office ten years ago. This is unfair, unheard of.”

Mr Burgess added: “I know our Governor’s leaving and I guess he had to get something done before he left and make sure they put some charge on Dr Brown.

“We must take a stance against this. The people of this country, the government of this country must put a stop to the unnecessary spending of money that we don’t have to prosecute and persecute – the malicious prosecution of Dr Brown because they don’t like him and they want to make an example of him to try to keep others in line.”

He said: “That’s some of the things they did many years ago. They lynch one of us and that kept us in a docile condition.

“When master came along they did whatever they thought he wanted done.”