Barbadian jurist, Dr. Richard Lionel Cheltenham, QC and former Principal of the Anglican High School in Grenada, Glenda Mason-Francis took the oath last Friday to serve on the Switzerland bribery commission of inquiry.

Cheltenham has been appointed as the sole Commissioner while Mason-Francis will serve as Secretary to the body that was set up to investigate allegations of bribery and corruption, against Grenada's Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

The oaths of office were administered by Governor-General, Sir Daniel Williams who decided to establish the commission in the face of opposition calls for Dr. Mitchell to step down for accepting money in June 2000 from German fraudster Eric Resteiner.

Dr. Cheltenham later told members of the local media that it is important that the commission move with dispatch to bring closure to the inquiry.

According to the former Barbados government minister, it is the hope that the secretariat will be in place within a week and to make a public announcement on August 27 on the terms and conditions of the Commission.

He also indicated the commission intends to begin its work by the end of the month and that it should submit a report to Sir Daniel some thirty (30) days after the commencement of the first sitting.
When questioned about the length of time given, Dr. Cheltenham pointed out that if there is need for an extension of the time then such application will be made.
Prime Minister Mitchell is being investigated for corruption and bribery in connection with monies given to him by Resteiner at a private home in Switzerland.

The bribery accusations leveled against Dr. Mitchell was first reported in an electronic newsletter known as Off Shore Alert, which is operated by the Miami-based Investigative Journalist David Marchant.

The article was based on a sworn affidavit of Timothy Bass, the former Chief of Security for Resteiner, in which he claimed that Resteiner had instructed him to record a monetary transaction between Dr. Mitchell and himself.

Bass alleges that Resteiner who is presently in the custody of law enforcement officials in the United States had given Dr. Mitchell US$500,000.00 in cash for a diplomatic posting.

The Grenadian leader stated publicly that he accepted "approximately US$15, 000" from Resteiner to help cover the cost of a promotional trip to several European States and Kuwait.

Since the publication of the Offshore Alert article, Dr. Mitchell has filed several libel suits against the local media in the face of a government threat to use "the full force of the law" against anyone reporting on the "libelous material".