"Scandal sheets"......

That's the words which came off the lips of outspoken city barrister, Anslem Clouden, in response to two pamphlets in circulation against him in the country. Clouden told reporters on Tuesday that the documents were created by persons just looking for a scapegoat.

One of the unsigned pamphlets alleged that the lawyer who has been a vocal critic of the Keith Mitchell government, collected millions of dollars in fees from representing crooks and fraudsters such as Van Brink and Ralph M. Sherman.

It alleged that Clouden owes government $1.4 million in fees for the offshore banks that he represented and collected and refused to pay the money over to government. The other document queried Clouden's qualification as a barrister-at-law and the place were he obtained his law degree to be admitted to the bar.

There was a further allegation that the lawyer while representing clients turns around and act against the very clients (collects money to defend them and collect money to act against them) among other things.

Clouden said that he is willing to meet one-on-one with anyone who would make pressing allegations and to have the law take its natural course."This (has) been the practice here .... you will have to get to the gutter, you have to ridicule someone, put out all kinds of falsehoods against them", he said, adding that "the pressure is on ... let them come forward and deal with me one on one."

According to Clouden, there is truth to these allegations against him and challenged anyone with proof to come forward with it."You think that if I have done so I would be able to practice law, you think the government wouldn't take action against me... there is no such proof", he remarked.

The attorney pointed to a number of credentials decorating the walls of his Law Office on Church Street and spoke of his many accomplishments such as being the only Law of the Sea expert in Grenada and that late Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was instrumental in seeking him to represent the country.

"I am proud of that...as a Grenadian, I have done well, made my father proud, my family proud, made my island and my islanders in Carriacou proud of my accomplishment, only to have some dishonorable reprobates try to damage my reputation through falsehood and propaganda," he said. He warned that he is not going to be moved by these allegations and was committed to standing firm.

 "...Those who flunk the law and engage in corruption I'll expose them. I have nothing to fear....nothing to fear", said Clouden who has repeated called for Prime Minister Mitchell to step aside in the face of bribery and corruption allegations against him.

Former Opposition Leader, Michael Baptiste, who was also present at the press conference, labelled the attack on Clouden as another attempt by government to deflect public attention from the real issues that were being exposed by the attorney-at-law.   Baptiste said that the issues government should be dealing with at the moment is the bribery-related lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mitchell in a US District Court in New York after he made public utterances that he was receiving "my dam money".

He noted that the same Prime Minister is now forced to hire a high-priced law firm in New York to represent him over his "dam money" scandal. In April, the New York firm was paid EC$270, 000.00 as retainer to represent the island's deputy Prime Minister, Gregory Bowen who is facing bribery allegations in the United States.