GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT: MAY 4 - 10, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000075 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT: MAY 4 - 10, 2008 ¶1. Embassy Grenada's weekly activity report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not currently merit longer reporting. ¶2. Begin GWAR text: (a)Commissioner Submits Final Report on "Briefcase" Affair Sir Richard Cheltenham of Barbados, the sole commissioner on the Commission of Inquiry established by the Governor General in 2005, investigated allegations that Prime Minister Mitchell had received a substantial amount of money from his former trade ambassador during a trip to Europe a few years ago, and locally referred to as the "Briefcase Affair". Mitchell has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The Commission's final report was presented to the Office of the Governor General seven months after the enquiry ended. The Governor General's office said that copies of the report will be sent to the relevant stakeholders including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the lawyers who appeared in the inquiry. The report will be available for purchase by the public from the Government Printery. The PM was accused of taking $500,000 under the table from German businessman Eric Resteiner. Miami-based newsletter Offshore Alert's editor David Marchant, who maintains Mitchell is guilty, angrily rejected the Commission report. Marchant and an alleged witness refused to come to Grenada to testify before the Commission. (b)Police Ban Political Meetings on Main Roads The Grenada police have banned mass political meetings from being held on the main streets of the country as campaigning for the general election intensifies. According to Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN),the decision was taken after a one-hour meeting with representatives of the ruling New National Party (NNP),the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP),and the Peoples Labor Movement (PLM). Police Commissioner Winston James also advised speakers against using "threatening language" during the campaign. A date for elections has not yet been announced, but pundits speculate it will be soon. (c)Grenada Send Condolences to China The Government of Grenada expressed condolences to the Government and people of China following the earthquake last week that claimed the lives of thousands of citizens. The government announced that initial reports indicated that all 23 of the Grenadian students studying in China were safe. MCISAAC