Grenada's deputy Prime Minister, Gregory Bowen is moving full speed ahead with an attempt to seek immunity from prosecution in the United States on bribery-related charges filed against him by American oil tycoon, Jack Grynberg.
GRENADA TODAY has obtained the copy of the latest letter sent to a New York judge, by U.S attorney-at-law, Jeb Johnson who is representing the Number Two man in the ruling New National Party (NNP) administration in St. George's.
Bowen has filed court papers asking that he be granted immunity from prosecution based on the fact that he is the Deputy Prime Minister if the sovereign State of Grenada.
"...Defendant Bowen is not at this time prepared to waive or withdraw any arguments or defenses he has pending before the Court", Johnson told Judge Evan Wallach in a letter dated May 1, 2008.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell has been granted temporary immunity from prosecution in the United States in a fraud-related matter involving imprisoned former Grenada envoy, Eric Resteiner who allegedly gave the Grenadian leader US$500, 000 in bribe money in exchange for a diplomatic posting.
Grynbeg has alleged that the Grenada Deputy Prime Minister accepted large bribes from a group of Russians to interfere with a 1996 oil and gas agreement that he signed with the NNP regime.
Following is the full text of the Johnson letter to Judge Wallach on behalf of Minister Bowen:
The Honorable Evan J. Wallach
United States Court of International Trade
One Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278-0001
Re: RSM Prod. Corp. Et al. v. Fridman et al.,
No. 96 Civ. 11512 (EJW) (SDNY)
Dear Judge Wallach:
As promised and requested, I write to convey defendant Bowen's position on his pending motion for reconsideration.
We respectfully request that the Court proceed to decide the motion, and we are not prepared to withdraw it despite the subsequently filed motion to dismiss.
We appreciate that there are issues in common to both motions, and that the Court may on its own determine, depending upon how the Court rules on the motions, that certain issues have been rendered moot.
(In this regard, we ask the Court to be mindful of those common issues, and the fact that some have been briefed by both sides more extensively in connection with one motion rather than the other).
We are also mindful of and agree with Your Honor's statements yesterday about clarity of the record, and the need for formal resolution of each motion put before the Court.
I have shared a draft of this letter with plaintiffs' counsel to solicit his position. His view is that the order defendant Bowen has asked to be reconsidered merely permitted plaintiffs to amend the complaint, and the motion to reconsider is therefore moot in light of that amendment, as well as the subsequent briefing.
As stated above, it is our view that various issues may become moot depending how the Court resolves the various issues before it, but defendant Bowen is not at this time prepared to waive or withdraw any arguments or defenses he has pending before the Court.
Finally, both sides request that oral argument of the two motions occur at the same time.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeh Charles Johnson
