Gda: Mounting pressure on Mitchell

A former Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell has penned a second letter within two weeks in connection with the alleged half-a-million dollar bribery scandal involving the embattled Grenadian leader.

This time Cajeton Hood who is now an attorney-at-law has written to Police Commissioner, Fitzroy Bedeau to take the lead in launching an independent probe into the allegations which Prime Minister Mitchell has denied ever taking place.
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The Grenadian leader admitted that he met with Resteiner but was paid "approximately US$15, 000" by the German to cover the expenses of a delegation on a trip to Europe and Kuwait.

Prime Minister Mitchell has announced that several lawsuits have been filed against a number of persons for accusing him of engaging in wrong-doing.

Following is the full text of the June 15, 2004 letter that Hood sent to commissioner Bedeau on the issue:...

Here are some of the reasons why I am so gravely concerned:

(1). Mr. Bernard Coard, a ward of the state and my client, who is constitutionally entitled to legal representation and other rights as a citizen of Grenada, sent to you a letter about 7 months ago in which he claims that his signature was forged unto a document while he is in prison.
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Notice the crimes: FORGERY and BREACHES OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ACT! To this date there has been no report about the progress of any investigations that are intended or have taken place.

I have tried to ask questions time and again of the officer who I was told was in charge of the intended investigations but to no avail. Is it that our police force upon which we depend is refusing to act upon hearsay?
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(2). Members of your force launched themselves lustily into investigations related to the conduct of Mr. Michael Baptiste while he was the Minister of Agriculture, the investigations having started many years after he demitted office.

Charges were then laid against Mr. Baptiste and the case is being prosecuted by the same person who is the head of the unit who investigated the claims against Mr. Baptiste. Investigator and prosecutor at the same time! How immoral, grossly unfair and unethical!

Chief, can you please tell the nation what was the basis used to launch the investigations into the conduct of Mr. Baptiste? Chief, is it not true that the investigations started based upon hearsay? Surely, someone must have called or written, making a complaint against Mr. Baptiste to have your investigations started! If you are not sure please ask your legal experts to assist you in coming to the answer.

(3). Chief, I was watching the news tonight and was shocked and petrified to hear the Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit say that because you, not he, were presented with what he calls hearsay then there is nothing to investigate.

Chief, you owe a duty to the public to see that justice is being done! You are a public servant! You owe a duty to the nation to be impartial and to seem to be impartial!

Chief, could you please tell us to whom the Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit reports? If he reports to you is it that he is pronouncing to the nation what you have decided, that our Police Force is not prepared to investigate the serious allegations that have been leveled at our Prime Minister?

Why are we not at least anxious to have the name of our Prime Minister cleared so that as a nation we can breathe again? Chief, all Grenadians are waiting to exhale! Chief, we beg you; please help us to raise our heads in the international community!

Chief, please do not take advice from persons who come from countries that are accustomed to the misdeeds of a totally corrupt police force! They are used to cover-ups in their countries and it is normal to them!

Look at what it has done to their country! Policemen are killed at random on the streets, and pitched battles are waged between the police force and civilians!

It is because that police force is not trusted to protect and serve impartially. That police force is not trusted to seek to dispense justice to all! Please, Chief, I beg you; please have the hearsay investigated!

(4). Chief, as a Grenadian and a lawyer I feel grossly insulted and offended by Mr. Wildman's statements! Does Mr.Wildman have any training in investigative procedures? Is he a trained police officer who is experienced in investigation?

Mr. Wildman knows fully well that the determination of what is hearsay is a matter for trial and not one for investigation! Has he then concluded that there is a case to answer by the Prime Minister and he has to begin mounting a defence for him?

Please tell Mr. Wildman that he is acting in conflict with his present appointment and the proper thing for him to do is to resign because he has rushed to the defence of a person against whom a complaint is being laid and made a pronouncement even less than 24 hours after looking at some documents.

He should resign and let the Prime Minister hire him as a defence attorney. Chief, worse yet, to add insult to injury, Mr. Wildman proceeds to threaten the opposition leaders with being arrested for CRIMINAL LIBEL! What a load of rubbish!

Chief, do not look at that! All he is trying to do is to put pressure on you to use your powers to intimidate persons in the society! Chief, look at the danger this man is exposing the nation to!

If what he says is true then everyone will be afraid to report crime because if I write to you about what comes to my knowledge and ask for it to be investigated then I am guilty of a crime!

Chief, this goes directly against what you have been trying to develop in the community for so long. Don't you want the public to report crime to your officers?

(5). Chief, I expect that you are really under some pressure, because I was dumfounded to hear the alleged wrongdoing of our Prime Minister reduced to a BLACK AND WHITE issue by a member of the Upper House, MY NAME SAKE.

What a sad and unfortunate occurrence! Chief, please say to my name sake that you have sworn to fairly and impartially uphold the requirements of the law and it does not matter whether the accuser or the accused is BLACK OR WHITE!

Black men do dark and sinister deeds just as white men! Chief, please tell Mrs. Hood, that no one is trying to hang anyone, we are just, as a nation, trying to grapple with the specter of our leader being boldly and openly accused of crime.

Tell Mrs. Hood and Mr. Wildman that whether it is hearsay by white people or hearsay by black people we need to know the truth because it is that alone that will set our nation free!

Chief, we all have children and we must sacrifice for them to make sure that they do not lose hope in the fairness of our system and commit themselves to crime and banditry! We do not want to become like Jamaica or like Trinidad!