Outspoken Barrister-at-Law, Anslem Clouden has described as"most scandalous and irresponsible" a recent attack on Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Nelson by former Grenada Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell.
Clouden said that Mitchell's latest outburst against the current DPP, labelling him as a"Director of Political Prosecutions" is nothing but a continued attack on Nelson and the justice system which started under his New National Party's leadership.
A fierce critic of the Mitchell regime, Clouden also scoffed at Mitchell's statement that he intends to write to the OECS Chief Justice to get him to remove Nelson from office.
The lawyer said that the former Prime Minister will be very much out of place to do so since there is no provision under the Grenada Constitution for the Opposition Leader to write directly to the Chief Justice. He pointed out that any such action can only be done through the Governor General and not any other official.
In defending Nelson, Clouden described him as"an honourable and reputable man" who is recognised at all levels of the legal profession and one that all Grenadians should feel proud about.
He said it is rather unfortunate that the current DPP has to withstand these"unsavory remarks" from the new Opposition Leader. Like Nelson, Clouden said that he does not see anything political about the investigation being carried out into the collapsed First International Bank of Grenada in which former Legal Advisor to the Mitchell Cabinet, Jamaican Hugh Wildman was detained for questioning approximately 24 hours.
He said that Wildman was clearly involved in the FIBG matter which is of a criminal nature and as such warrants criminal investigations which should be pursued.
Clouden's defense of the DPP follows on the heels of one from former President of the Grenada Bar Association (GBA), Ruggles Ferguson who told the local media that Nelson is known to be professional at all times and it is unfair of the Opposition Leader to cast judgment on him.
Ferguson said he believes that the DPP is quite capable of performing his duties contrary to Mitchell's claim of loss of all confidence in his ability to impartially handle legal issues.
