GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000029 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EFIN KCRM SENV GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 10 - 16, 2008 ¶1. (U) Embassy Grenada's weekly activity report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. (U) Begin GWAR text: ¶A. Grenada's Supreme Court Appoints Receiver for Local Bank Grenada's high court issued an order on February 15 appointing a receiver for Capital Bank International (CapBank),an unlicensed bank that has been in a long running dispute with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the GOG. Most recently, the bank has refused to give depositors their money, leading the government to seek to put the bank into receivership. Rumors abound about which high-level officials may be involved in the bank, but few facts. Ministry of Finance officials told Charge d'Affaires that CapBank deposits amount to about 2% of all bank deposits in Grenada. ¶B. Dual Citizens May Serve on Commission In what is hopefully the last hurdle for the implementation of the anti-corruption legislation passed by Grenada's Parliament in March 2007, parliamentarians passed an emergency measure to allow dual citizens to serve on the Integrity in Public Life Commission. The Commission will oversee the requirements for public disclosure in the legislation. Grenada's constitution allows citizens of Commonwealth countries to be public servants and run for office as long as they have lived in Grenada at least 12 months (the time one must be in country to apply for Grenadian citizenship). Non-Commonwealth citizens, e.g., U.S. citizens, are barred. It sounds like the GOG may have in mind a person or person(s) who is a non-Commonwealth dual citizen. ¶C. Grenadian Students Support Anti-Whaling Position Around 60 Grenadian students participated in an essay contest titled "Protesting the Killing" sponsored by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Caribbean Marine Mammal Coalition (CMMC). The two winners received $370 apiece with an additional $370 going to each of their schools. Several other students also received cash prizes. The Government has sided with Japan in the international arena on whaling. Japan provides assistance for the fishing industry. The students participation in researching and writing the essays about why whaling is wrong may help to move public opinion on the subject from the current indifference to active opposition. End text. MCISAAC