Grenadian Police have questioned a local journalist in connection with an alleged libelous news story which they believed had implicated Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell in financial wrongdoing.

Freelance journalist Leroy Noel was picked up by officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of theRoyal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) at about 6:45 a.m. Last week Thursday.

Noel was taken to the CID head office in St. George's for 45 minutes of interrogation by Police Inspector Earl Dunbar. About five hours later the journalist was released without being charged, but was advised that he may be contacted again as part of the investigation.

According to Noel, he was walking the road in his small village of Ravine, when he observed the lawmen knocking the door of another person. "I called out to them (the officers), I said, 'hey man, all you going the wrong place man. 'Lok at me here man. I am the person you all are looking for", he said.

Noel told reporters in St. George's that when he was detained, the officers notified him of the reasons behind their action. He was also allowed to contact his lawyer Anslem Clouden who travelled to the station to be with his client.

The journalist said that he was questioned in connection with an article which appeared on the front page of the Friday May 21, 2004 issue of the Spice Isle Review newspaper, under the heading "NNP Days Are Numbered". Noel is said to be the author of the article which dealt with an alleged financial transaction between Prime Minister Mitchell and German fraudster Eric Resteiner in Switzerland in 2000.

News about the Restenier/Mitchell contact was first reported on the internet in the April 30 article of the Miami-based OffShore Alert. Dr. Mitchell has publicly denied taking a bribe of $500, 000.00 from Resteiner and told the nation in a radio address that he was given "approximately $15, 000.00 by the former Grenada diplomat to cover the expenses of a promotional tour to europe and Kuwait.

Noel told reporters that the move by the police against him came as no surprise because of a confrontation he had 24 hours earlier with Prime Minister Mitchell who warned him that his time was coming and that he will soon find out.

Dr. Mitchell is said to have made the pronouncement to Noel in the presence of another journalist within the precincts of the St. George's #1 Magistrate's Court last Tuesday.

The Grenadian leader visited the court to give evidence in the criminal libel matter brought against another local journalist newspaper editor, George Worme of Grenada Today.