Former Grenada Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell is apparently putting together a defense team of lawyers in anticipation of criminal charges being laid against him by police prosecutors.
A high level source within the main opposition, New National Party (NNP) told GRENADA TODAY that the recent detention of ex-Legal Advisor to Cabinet, Hugh Wildman has convinced Mitchell that the State might be after him legally on allegation of misbehaviour in public office.
He said that local Attorney-at-law, Derek Sylvester is one of the barristers in the country approached by the former Prime Minister to represent him in all legal matters pending and upcoming.
This newspaper contacted Sylvester but he declined to comment on issue on the grounds of confidentiality between lawyers and clients."No, no. I cannot tell you who I meet or plan to meet with. It does not work so", said Sylvester on Monday.
However, the source said that Dr. Mitchell had a private meeting at his home in Happy Hill with Sylvester in which he invited him to represent him in certain court matters. Legal sources also confided in this newspaper that Sylvester was approached by NNP agents to be part of the defense team of lawyers looking after the interest of Wildman when he was detained for questioning.
The attorney was never seen around any of the centres where Wildman was kept. Attorneys Lawrence Joseph, Dwight Horsford and Celia Edwards-Clyne were the lawyers seen in the forefront of the legal defense team for Wildman.
The source stated that former Prime Minister Mitchell is angry over the manner in which the new government canceled his passport as Head of the last government and rendered as null and void his visas on the document to enter some foreign countries.
According to the source, it is likely that Dr. Mitchell might institute legal action against the two month old administration of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas for embarrassing him on the issue.
He said the ex-Grenadian leader is also planning to pursue in the law courts legal matters brought against the GRENADA TODAY newspaper and its editor. Mitchell has been seeking to close down the paper and to have its editor convicted in court on criminal libel proceedings.
The ex-Prime Minister has failed to attend court sitting on the libel matters for the past four years. This case is due to come up for hearing on September 22 in the Number 1 Magistrate's Court.
