Grenada PM says he’s cleared of bribery allegations

Grenada PM says he’s cleared of bribery allegations

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, CMC - Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell says a report of a Commission of Inquiry has found no evidence to support claims that he received a substantial sum of money from his former trade ambassador during a trip to Europe a few years ago.

The 83-page report, carried out by prominent Barbadian jurist Sir Richard Cheltenham, was handed over to the Governor General's office last weekend, seven months after the conclusion of public hearings.

Mitchell had consistently denied that he had done anything illegal after the opposition parties here called for an investigation into a 2004 article in a Miami-based publication that claimed the Prime Minister had received money for granting a diplomatic posting to German businessman Eric Resteiner.

Addressing a political meeting here over the weekend, Mitchell quoted from the report which explained why he was not called as a witness despite appeals from the opposition for him to do so.

"You will see that these were all allegations and they were concocted by people in this country for their own purpose.

"But if you look on page 44 of that report, the most telling statement made in that report, he said concerning the evidence on this issue there is no shred of evidence against the Prime Minister of this country. It went on further to say because there was no shred of evidence they could not call the Prime Minister before the Commission."

Mitchell was also critical of the opposition shadow finance minister Nazim Burke over his recent claim that the Governor General's office had received the report since last September but was withholding it from the public.

"This was a vicious attack on the office of the Governor General. This is not an attack on (Governor General) Danny Williams. Let us not mistake this. This is an attack on you," he told supporters.

"This is an attack on the highest office holder in this land. If this gentleman cared at all, in this day and age of telephone, fax, internet, he could have made one simple communication to the Governor General's office."

Personal Assistant to the Governor General, Margaret Jawhir who received the report, said that copies would be sent to the relevant stakeholders including the Leader of the Opposition and the lawyers who appeared in the inquiry.

She also denied allegations that the report had been received since October last year.

"This was a highly irresponsible and malicious statement. This Office kept in regular contact with the Commissioner's office in Barbados in respect to when the report would be available," Jawhir said.

She told reporters that that once the report is made public anyone interested in seeing it could purchase a copy form the Government Printery.

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