HOME	AUGUST 07th, 2004

AUGUST 07

Former Opposition Leader Michael Baptiste has again accused the State of engaging in delay tactics in fraud charges slapped on him in the weeks leading up the November 2003 general elections.

And he repeated allegations that the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) led by Commissioner Fitzroy Bedeau was "too bias" and acting as an "extension arm" of the ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

A confident Baptise told GRENADA TODAY that he would like a speedy trial since he was confident that the outcome would be in his favour.

State prosecutors charged the former parliamentarian with a number of fraud-related charges in connection with monies made available to Grenada to participate in international whaling conferences.

Baptiste, a former Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, was Grenada's Commissioner for Whaling at these meetings.

His lawyers have approached the high court to ask for a judicial review of information which the State claims to have in its possession in connection with the charges.

According to Baptiste, he would like to see a speeding up of the process in order to get the trial proceedings underway.

He said that in the same way the State could influence the transfer of Magistrates then it should be able to do the same thing in the case pending against him.

The former Member of Parliament for St. Andrew South-west believes that State Prosecutors are playing for time and doing everything to frustrate the legal process.

"I want this thing (the case) to get on with. Let them come with the evidence that they have against me. I am pretty confident that I will be vindicated", he remarked.

Baptste has often maintained that the fraud charges are politically motivated and pointed an accusing finger at Dr. Mitchell's administration.

He said that months before the charges were filed against him that he had received information from a regional leader that this was in the making in order to affect his chances at the poll. The case is due to come up for hearing again on October 4.