The new Grenada government of Prime Minister, Tillman Thomas plans to write all officials of the previous administration with the exception of former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to surrender their diplomatic passports.
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Elvin Nimrod |
Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that under existing protocol, Dr. Mitchell as the new Opposition Leader is entitled to an official diplomatic passport.
He said that during the life of the last Parliament, current Prime Minister Thomas was the only member of the opposition who was granted a full diplomatic passport while the other members were given Official passports to make overseas trips.
According to the source, ex-government ministers, Clarice Modeste-Curwen, Roland Bhola and Elvin Nimrod who held diplomatic passports in the November 2003 to July 2008 period would now have to surrender their state-approved diplomatic passports in exchange for the lesser official passports.
All officials of the previous government who lost their seats and parliamentary status in the July 8 poll would have to surrender their diplomatic and official passports to the Ministry of foreign Affairs.
The source also pointed out that the new government would soon be sending out letters to all Grenada ambassadors and diplomats on overseas assignments to recall them home.
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Claris Modeste |
He said that those who would be immediately affected are Ambassadors Dr. Angus Friday at the United Nations, Joslyn Whiteman in Mainland China and Joseph Charter, the current High Commissioner in London.
Ambassador to Caracas, Richard Mc Phail is already back home receiving medical treatment for an injury sustained during the just-ended campaign for the July 8 poll.
He said the new administration could not have sent out the letters at an earlier date due to the failure of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to meet in the past two weeks.
He stated that a meeting was planned for last Monday and high on the agenda was the letters to be sent out to all overseas-based diplomats.
The three-week old Thomas administration has not given any public signals about its replacement ambassadors in these crucial overseas postings.
The source indicated that Ambassadors Denis Antoine who is based in Washington and serves the United States and the Organisation of American States (OAS), as well as Jean Marie Coutain, Ambassador to the European Community and based in Brussels would have to be treated differently from the rest of diplomats.
He spoke of Antoine and Coutain falling into the category of civil servants and would have to be brought back home and given jobs in the public service.
Ambassador Coutain is best remembered as the diplomat who accompanied former Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell to the luxury villa in St. Moritz, Switzerland of imprisoned former Grenada Ambassador, Eric Resteiner where he allegedly collected U.S$500, 000 as bribery payment for a diplomatic posting.
Dr. Mitchell admitted receiving "approximately US$15, 000.00 from Resteiner but Ambassador countain who claimed that she was in the presence of the then Grernaidan leadeall all the time told a Commission of Inquiry that she did not see any transfer of money.
