Opposition Leader calls on PM to come clean

by Linda Straker

• Oliver Joseph, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, alleges inaccurate information about Cabinet conclusion
• Cabinet conclusion not yet released publicly
• Wire transfer information for payments to treasury and NNP group made public GIS

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell said that the claim from Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell that members of the 2018–2022 Cabinet of Ministers misappropriated money meant for the treasury is a serious offence, and he should come clean about that allegation.

“The accusation against us and the Polish Ambassador is not a joke, it is a serious offence and he has not apologised. Up to today, he has not said a word, and before he said any other thing or any other thing about anybody, he needs to come and explain that one, and other things he has said,” Dr Mitchell said in a news conference on 5 September.

During a town hall meeting on Monday, 31 October 2022, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell disclosed that during June 2022, in the midst of the general election campaign, a Polish national claimed he was requested to pay US$290,000 for a diplomatic passport.

“We have the records, so since the Cabinet conclusion said that it was US$290,000 to the State of Grenada, the last time I checked, the constitution does not establish the New National Party South St George office as part of the State of Grenada,” he said, explaining that there is a treasury receipt for US$150,000.

The Prime Minister then called on the New National Party South St George office or the New National Party to hand over to the State of Grenada, the US$140,000 that “magically found its way into your bank account.”

However, Oliver Joseph, who was then serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that the Prime Minister was providing inaccurate information about the Cabinet conclusion. “US$150,000 was paid to the State, and there can be no other figures in a Cabinet conclusion, because that is the figure we set and we did not change it in the build-up to the election, so I challenge those with other evidence to present it,” he said.

The policy of the government then was to appoint these diplomatic passport holders as ambassadors-at-large if there was no representation in the territory or jurisdiction from where the applicant is a resident.

The Cabinet conclusion is yet to be released publicly; instead, the wire transfer information for the payment of US$150,000 to the treasury and a payment of US$140,000 to the NNP group was made public through the Government Information Service (GIS).