Grenada Today - The National Newspaper of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique

Former Opposition Leader Michael Baptiste has added his voice to the growing number of organisations and individuals on the island calling on government to withdraw its nomination of controversial Jamaican Lawyer Hugh Wildman as the next Attorney General (AG) of Grenada.

Sources told this newspaper that the State has already terminated its contract with the current holder of the post Barrister-at-law Raymond Anthony.

Baptiste told GRENADA TODAY in an interview that he regards the nomination of Wildman as the island's next AG as a conflict of interest.

The former member of Parliament for St. Andrew's South-West referred to a meeting held last year involving Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and officials of Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GCIC).

The meeting was held to come up with the terms of reference for the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry into the Eric Resteiner briefcase issue involving Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

An article in Offshore Alert last year claimed that the Grenadian leader accepted a bribe of $500, 000 U.S in 2000 from Resteiner, a German fraudster to appoint him to a diplomatic post.Resteiner is currently held in a U.S jail awaiting trial on several counts of fraud.

Baptiste pointed out that Wildman was present during the talks that the Prime Minister held with representatives of GCIC on the terms of reference for the inquiry. "Clearly, he (Wildman) was not representing the State but the Prime Minister who is the alleged accused", said Baptiste.

The former parliamentarian noted that Wildman is presently an Advisor to the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) and was responsible for issuing instructions as to who should be detained and questioned for merely repeating what was published in Offshore Alert.
"Wildman was on National television saying that there was no need for a Commission of Inquiry, and he even commented on the affidavit by Timothy Bass which he claimed to be null and void", added Baptiste.

This is reference to an affidavit from Bass, the former security chief for Resteiner, in which he claimed to have video-taped the alleged hand-over of the funds to Dr. Mitchell in a Louis Vitton briefcase.

Baptiste is adamant that by appointing Wildman to the post of Attorney General, "the Commission of Inquiry will be compromised on this ground". "The Office of the AG will have to interface with the Justice Department in the United States since Eric Resteiner is under the jurisdiction of the United States Authority", he added.

The former Opposition Leader charged that he has information in his possession about attempts being made by an individual close to the Inquiry to try and obtain from the US Justice Department a copy of Bass' tape.

Baptiste said the U.S Justice Department informed the individual that the appropriate channel to make the request on behalf of Grenada is from the Office of the Attorney General. "What we are seeing is the removal of Raymond Anthony to put someone in that office that the Prime Minister enjoys confidence in", he remarked.

Baptiste said that Wildman must lead the way with integrity, since he cannot be representing the people of Grenada and the Prime Minister at the same time on the same issue.