Local lawyer Anselm Clouden has called on former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to repay the money he collected as rent for living in his own house following the passage of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

The official Prime Minister’s residence at Mt. Royal was one of the many public buildings destroyed during the onslaught of the killer hurricane. It was recently made known in Parliament during the budget debate that Dr. Mitchell collected approximately $166,000.00 as rent for living in his house at Happy Hill, St. George’s.

This comes on the heels of revelation that former Governor-General, Sir Daniel Williams was collecting approximately EC$13, 000.00 a month for use of his home following the destruction to Government House. Clouden said at a time when the nation was called upon to make sacrifices, and at a time of a national crisis, the former Prime Minister, in a clandestine manner, was taking money to reside in his own house.

“That is not only vulgar, it is unethical, it is immoral, it is unlawful because the former Prime Minister is a public official, a public officer, and therefore, he ought not to benefit directly from the public purse. It tantamounts to unjust enrichment. He has unjustly enriched himself at the expense of the tax payers,” he told reporters at a press conference. Clouden has impressed upon the six-month old Government of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas to insist that Dr. Mitchell repay the money that he collected as rental for his premises.

“Mitchell must be made answerable for the money he received, either by way of a tax imposition on his property, or he be forced to repay the taxpayers for the unjust manner in which he stiffened off from the Treasury, some $166,000.00,” he remarked. “Mitchell must repay those money to the taxpayers of Grenada. He was not entitled to it, and therefore, if he keeps it he would be unjustly enriched by retaining it,” he added. The outspoken lawyer wants to see a special fund be started with the money that Dr. Mitchell has to repay for the purpose of a hurricane relief for public buildings.

The barrister-at-law suggested that the former New National Party (NNP) government should have tendered for a suitable accommodation to house the former Prime Minister after Ivan, similar to what was done for the recently appointed Governor General, Carlyle Glean. Clouden noted that when Dr. Mitchell “was cornered,” in Parliament on the money issue for his personal home, he sought to implicate former Prime Minister, Sir Nicholas Brathwaite for also receiving a monthly rental while living in his own house.

Sir Nicholas has since denied collecting any money from the 1990-1995 National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government for staying at his private residence in the Villa. Sir Nicholas had given up the Prime Minister’s residence in order to accommodate former Police Commissioner Nestor Ogilvie. Clouden saw that move on the part of Sir Nicholas as guaranteeing some monetary savings for the government.

“So there is no similarity or parallel between the conduct of Keith Mitchell and that of Sir Nicholas Brathwaite. Sir Nicholas Brathwaite acted with propriety. He acted in the interest of the country, and the allegation that he received money from the government for living in his own house was patently untrue,” he said. “In that context as a citizen and as a fellow Carriacouan, I am calling on former Prime Minister Mitchell and Leader of the Opposition to make a public apology to Sir Nicholas Brathwaite because he has brought the good and honourable name of this gentleman, Sir Nicholas, into odium and disrepute in the minds of right-thinking people,” he added.

Clouden said although the libelous allegation was made in Parliament where Parliamentarians enjoy some level of immunity, he is conducting a research to see if a libel suit can be brought against Mitchell. The outspoken attorney promised to pursue Dr. Mitchell in the law courts for libeling Sir Nicholas if he fails to make a public apology.

He said that morality in public life would dictate to the Leader of the Opposition that he renders an apology to the former Prime Minister. Since the incident, Dr. Mitchell has noticeable remained quiet and tight-lipped.

SOURCE: GRENADA TODAY NEWSPAPER