The Polish Diplomatic Passport scandal should cause a criminal investigation to be immediately instituted by the relevant bodies into the “tangled web” of wrong-doing in Diplomacy.
The former Foreign Affairs Minister Oliver Joseph has admitted to the local media that the defeated New National Party (NNP) government of Dr. Keith Mitchell has been violating the Vienna Convention protocol on Diplomacy by trading in the sale of Diplomatic passports.
The ex-minister made the startling declaration that the regime was charging US$150, 000.00 to persons with foreign nationalities who wanted to become an Ambassador-at-large for Grenada.
This Polish Diplomatic passport scandal calls for the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) to seriously investigate the issue in light of reports that the foreign national has been asking back for his money since those involved did not provide the individual with the prized national asset.
THE NEW TODAY has information that a large sum of money was moved from a local bank in the city that is linked to the NNP South St George constituency just after 3.00 p.m on June 22, 2022 – one day before the general election.
It is doubtful that this money was used for electioneering purposes as a mere 16 hours later Grenadians were entering the various polling stations to cast their votes.
The FIU has its work to do and find out the source of the funds especially who put that money into the bank account and who was the person who caused the money to be removed from the said account after the bank would have closed for the day in terms of doing business with the public.
The individual of interest is definitely associated with the NNP government and is known to have powerful family ties to the banking community on the island.
The defeated NNP candidate in the constituency, Norland Cox might be speaking the truth when he told a local radio station that he knows nothing about the US$140, 000.00 that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell indicated at a Town Hall meeting, did not reach the Treasury but ended up in another account not related to the State of Grenada for the sale of the diplomatic passport.
Any serious investigation team – whether FIU or RGPF – will do its work to find out from the local banks in the city about the withdrawal of such a large sum of money on June 22, 2022.
This is not hard work for a serious FIU outfit in particular as the organization should have had prior information about all deposits in excess of EC$10, 000.00 in the local banks in keeping with the source of funds disclosure policy by law.
The small man is often hounded down by these arms of the state for a few dollars but the real white collar criminals in our midst are allowed to walk away untouched due to their connections through politics and their money which provides the oxygen for many local politicians.
THE NEW TODAY would not like to see another NNP-controlled and staffed outfit called the Integrity Commission get involved in the Sale of Diplomatic Passport scandal that has engulfed the NNP with the disclosure this week by the Foreign Minister, Oliver Joseph.
The corridors of power in many English-speaking Caribbean islands engaged in the CBI business will be shaking as the governments of the United States, Britain, and Canada now have proof of the shady dealings by some of these islands in flouting diplomacy.
The reality of the situation is that the NNP government was trying to control every facet of life in Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique out of the misplaced belief of its leader, Keith Mitchell that he could have turned the island into a one-party state following back to back 15-0 victories at the polls in 2013 and 2018.
The people spoke on June 23, 2022 and it is now up to Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and the Congress government to facilitate the changes that the electorate voted for on polling day.
The NDC leadership has to re-arrange things especially when it comes to the operations of the RGPF, FIU and the so-called Integrity Commission that can only cause an investigation into the MNIB fiasco and not the other corrupt entities on the island such as the Physical Planning Unit.
The NNP-controlled FIU is definitely not working in the interest of the new dispensation underway in the country that is trying to push forward with an agenda of Transformative Change.
One report reaching us is that the FIU did little or nothing by way of investigation into the so-called FAITH organisation linked to the former Education Minister Emmalin Pierre that benefitted from over EC$6 million dollars in two years from the former NNP government.
Is it true that all this particular unit did was get the files with the incorporation of the so-called non-governmental organisation and put it on a desk in the office?
There appears to be no investigation by FIU to find out whether any government minister in the last regime was a signatory to the cheques issued by FAITH.
A credible Grenadian confirmed to us that he had received a cheque from the organisation which was signed by a former NNP government minister and another lady from rural Grenada.
THE NEW TODAY renews its call on Congress to request a team of forensic accountants and other experts along with a Special Prosecutor from the United Kingdom to come to the assistance of Grenada to help clean the dirty cesspit left behind by NNP on the island.
In addition, there is a need for a rebuilding of RGPF with the appointment of a new Commissioner of Police from either Barbados or The Bahamas to give teeth and meaning to the transformational agenda.
The Congress supporters are growing restless and want to see the kinds of changes that are needed to make Grenada a much better and decent place to live not only for themselves but future generations.
The average citizen is convinced that the dark shadow of evil spirit and forces that were hovering over the country has been blown away and a new day dawned on the morning of June 24 and that no one should be allowed to play with the gains following the end of the 9-year spell of the NNP regime.