Prime Minister Gaston Browne has criticised Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle for filing a police complaint over a failed concert performance, calling it a civil matter.

Pringle lodged a report with the Criminal Investigations Department after artist Armani Givenchy Moodie, contracted through Stardom Records, failed to perform at a Labour Day event in May. Pringle said half of the US$10,000 fee had been paid, but the team never showed up and the deposit was not refunded.

In a Facebook post, Browne questioned the use of police resources, saying: “Why would Pringle and his UPP acolytes seek to drag the Royal Antiguan & Barbudan Police Force into this civil squabble over $5,000?” He also offered to repay the amount “if they are so desperate”.

Pringle said he pursued legal steps after receiving no apology or reimbursement and believed the artist might return for Carnival, prompting him to seek police support.