Outside of his ministerial duties, he also met with Jiang Zhenghua, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, having led the official Antiguan delegation to Beijing.
Despite a scandal surrounding donations he had received from Texan businessman Robert Allen Stanford, Joseph was selected to contest the seat of St Mary's North in the 2004 Antiguan general election, in which the ALP lost power, being replaced in government by the United Progressive Party (UPP) led by Baldwin Spencer.
The same year, he was arrested for participating in an unauthorised May Day rally protesting the UPP administration; after a lengthy trial, he and several other ALP members were convicted and fined.
Although the government's immediate reaction was to deny that this had happened, the Solicitor-General issued a report in which he found that "the landing of the Rolls-Royce car...was in violation of customs and port procedures", facilitated by Joseph's intervention.
[16] As Minister, Joseph oversaw a "back-to-basics approach" to tourism, attempting to have the nation perceived as one known "for its cleanliness, tidiness, natural beauty and pristine environment".
[17] Joseph also oversaw the government buying a third of the Jolly Beach Resort in an attempt to save it from bankruptcy, establishing a management company to oversee the property.
[18] In February 2000 he led the government delegation in an official visit to Beijing, where they met with Jiang Zhenghua, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, to discuss "bilateral relations and the issues of common concern".
[26] In late 2003, it was discovered that Texan businessman Allen Stanford had given both Joseph and fellow minister Gaston Browne cheques worth 100,000 East Caribbean dollars.
While Browne denied suggestions that this had constituted bribery, claiming that the money had gone towards community projects, Leader of the Opposition Baldwin Spencer demanded that both ministers resign.
[30] Antigua had a general election in 2004, following the dissolution of Parliament in late February; with the ALP running a full slate, Joseph was nominated for the St Mary's North seat.