MAY 15

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed grave concerns over a report carried in a Miami-based publication linking Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to an alleged questionable financial transaction in 2000.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference held Monday, Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas said that the Congress party would like the Grenadian leader to give full disclosure on the matter and to completely clear the air.

"We are very much concerned about this. It has serious implications for the country and the Office of the Prime Minister", said Thomas who is the Member of Parliament for St. Patrick East.
According to Thomas, if the allegations made against Dr. Mitchell turn out to be true then "it has brought the Office of the Prime Minister into disrepute" because this could be a matter involving what he referred to as "dirty money".

Government has announced that the Prime Minister has taken the decision to file law suits in the United States against the Publication called Offshore Alert and its owner, David Marchant over the article.

The article made mention of an alleged exchange of a large sum of U.S dollars in a briefcase in Switzerland and of the transaction being video-taped.

The NDC political boss said that the party intends to raise some "serious questions" in Parliament about the issue of the alleged financial transaction involving the Prime Minister.

The Mitchell government has not categorically denied accepting money from the alleged German trickster Eric Resteiner. It issued a release saying that Cabinet approved an offer made by the individual to finance a promotional tour of Europe and Korea by a Grenadian delegation.

Thomas said that the NDC would like to hear from Prime Minister Mitchell whether the funds that were allegedly handed over ended up in the Consolidated Fund.

"We would want some explanations from the Prime Minister. If it (the story) is true then the Prime Minister should resign from office", he remarked.

Opposition spokesman on Finance, Nazim Burke who also spoke at the press conference urged the Grenadian leader _to come clean with the nation" on the allegations made in the Offshore Alert magazine. "If he accepted money from this fraudster, we will ask him to resign", Burke said.

NDC's Deputy Political Leader, George Prime urged the Prime Minister to do the right thing and "dispel all the ill-feelings hanging over the country on this financial issue".

"This matter should not be shifted under the carpet", he quipped.
When pressed by reporters on whether the NDC should not approach the State's Financial Task Force on money-laundering to investigate the allegations made by Offshore Alert, Burke questioned the independence and integrity of the body.

According to Burke, the force is headed by Jamaican barrister-at-law, Hugh Wildman who is a Special Prosecutor for the Mitchell government. He made mention of the role allegedly played by Wildman following a request made by U.S officials to come into Grenada to investigate the First International Bank of Grenada (FIBG) which collapsed and left thousands of depositors mainly from the United States and Canada losing millions of dollars.

Burke said that the United States "was stone-walled" and did not get the necessary co-operation from Grenada to investigate the controversial offshore bank that was set up by Van A. Brink who is wanted by Washington for money-laundering. "Can we expect a thorough and partial investigation through that agency headed by Wildman?

Burke said that the NDC would concentrate on "mobilsing the people" to ensure that "a thorough investigation" takes place into the allegations made in the Offshore Alert magazine about the financial transaction.

"If we have to mobilise the entire nation, that is what we will do", added Burke who is the Member of Parliament for St. George North-east.