Ramesh: Mitchell will be vindicated

FORMER Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC believes that Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell will be vindicated at the end of the Commission of Inquiry into allegations that he accepted a US $500,000 bribe. At a news briefing yesterday, Maharaj said he has examined the evidence in the matter. He said there was a lot of independent evidence which will show that the allegations against Dr Mitchell were not true. Maharaj will represent Dr Mitchell at the inquiry. Maharaj said Dr Mitchell is the first sitting Prime Minister in the Caribbean to subject himself to a Commission of Inquiry to deal with serious allegations made against him. He said the Commission of Inquiry will take centre stage when it gets going. The former UNC attorney general believes the people of Grenada and the Caribbean stand to benefit from an open and transparent inquiry. “Democracy has been given a boost in the Caribbean by the stance taken by the Grenada Prime Minister,” Maharaj added.

Maharaj told reporters that Eric Resteiner, who was born in the Seychelles,  became a citizen of Grenada under the Economic Citizenship Programme. He was appointed by the Grenada Cabinet as a trade counsellor. “That is not unusual in the eastern Caribbean where foreigners are appointed to look after the trade interests of the smaller islands,” Maharaj added. Maharaj said Dr Mitchell went on a visit to several European countries and Kuwait in 2000 and spent money for himself and his team. He said Resteiner, as the trade counsellor, reimbursed Dr Mitchell. “That is something which was not unusual in Grenada and in the smaller islands,” Maharaj added. Maharaj said when the Grenada government found out that Resteiner was wanted in the United States on money laundering charges, his appointment as a trade counsellor was revoked.

He said it was then that the allegations were made. Maharaj said he intends to approach the Commission for the inquiry to go the United States, if it becomes necessary to take the evidence of Eric Resteiner in prison. “I will need to cross-examine that person. I want to know what the truth is. The Prime Minister feels that it is important to clear his name.” Maharaj intends putting Dr Mitchell in the witness box to give his side of the story. Maharaj agreed that lone Commissioner Dr Richard Cheltenham was suited to head such an inquiry. He said counsel to the Commission, Dr Fenton Ramsahoye SC was very experienced and will give his expertise to resolving this matter.