The ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell has suffered another embarrassing court defeat in its ongoing battle to dislodge opposition Member of Parliament, Peter David from the town of St. George constituency.

The Court of Appeal on Tuesday threw out an appeal that was filed in the Peter David matter by Jamaican attorney-at-law, Hugh Wildman who is the Legal Advisor to the Mitchell administration. Lawyers for David, former attorney-general, Dr. Francis Alexis and Anselm Clouden called a press conference in St. George¹s on Tuesday to brief the local media on the latest development.

Wildman had approached the court for leave in order to get a hearing aimed at overturning an earlier ruling by high court judge, Justice Kenneth Benjamin which dismissed an action brought by the State against David¹s eligibility to sit in Parliament on the grounds that he held Canadian citizenship.

The judge dismissed the case on the basis of the procedure used by Wildman to take the matter to court. The defense had adopted the position that Benjamin¹s ruling had effectively brought an end to the matter.

In ruling against Wildman, the court of Appeal through Justice Michael Gordon at a sitting in St. Vincent reportedly informed the State that the matter was of ³erroneous stupidity² and that the application was a nullity.

According to Clouden, the court of appeal judge dismissed the application and ordered cost against the State in favour of David.
In his earlier ruling, Justice Benjamin ordered the State to pay David a total of $10, 000.00 in cost. Clouden said the time has come for Grenadians to take careful note of the amount of money Wildman is costing the taxpayers in failed matters before the courts.

³I think that Mr. Wildman has given the government improper legal advice (on the Peter David matter) and he is on a selfish and fanatical excursion at the expense of the taxpayers of Grenada², he remarked.³It¹s about time Mr. Wildman demit office and return to his homeland because Grenada needs someone of greater stature than Mr. Wildman. He is costing the people of Grenada too much money², he said.

Clouden challenged the Jamaican attorney to call his own press conference in light of the Gordon ruling and inform the local media about the matter. The Mitchell government is bent on removing David from the seat in favour of its defeated candidate in the 2003 general elections, Tourism & civil Aviation Minister, Senator Brenda Hood.

NNP insiders have said that the party is adopting the position that Hood might not be the right candidate to contest the seat against the incumbent in the next poll. A St. George¹s female dentist is tipped to replace either Hood or Health Minister, Senator Ann David-Antoine in the South St. George constituency in the next poll.

A few months ago, the dentist attended a function in the south of the island and was introduced as the representative of the Prime Minister.