by Linda Straker
- Grenada’s regular passport costs EC$250
- Claims about sale of regular passport rumourmongering against immigration division
- Acting Commissioner of Police also carries title post of Chief Immigration Officer
Edvin Martin, Acting Commissioner of Police (COP), has assured that the necessary probe will be undertaken into what he described as “unsubstantiated and slanderous” rumour that Grenada’s regular passports are being sold without the consent and permission of the relevant authority.
“I heard of that rumour being perpetuated and as it relates to passports, what I say is that the office of the immigration department is responsible for the distribution of passports and an unsubstantiated and slanderous remark like that can be very detrimental not just to the force, but to the country,” Martin said.
“As far as I am concerned, the issuance of passports is well regulated and if anyone has information to that effect I will really encourage the person to come forward with it so we can look into it,” he instructed via the weekly post-cabinet briefing. Martin was one of the persons who addressed the media during the scheduled Tuesday one-hour event where information about cabinet decisions is normally shared. The session is followed by questions and answers from the media.
“To me at this point in time it’s unsubstantiated. I do not have any information to suggest that, that is something that is occurring. I will be interested in looking into it and the fact that assertion has been made, I will not be waiting for persons to come with it, I will be going to whoever is responsible for perpetuating that kind of rumour, because there is an interest on both sides,” he said. “If something like that is happening it is important that it be resolved. If that sort of information is being perpetuated and it is not true, it is critical that it be identified for what it is and neutralised immediately,” said Martin.
“I must get to the bottom of this. We will see where the facts on this lie and we will see where the case goes,” said Martin who, as Acting Commissioner of Police also carries the title post of Chief Immigration Officer.
Nickolas Steele, who served as a former minister for Foreign Affairs and is currently International Business Minister, said that he sees the spreading of claims about the sale of regular passport as rumourmongering against a division of the force that is known for its integrity.
Grenada’s regular passport costs EC$250.
