25 May, 2006 - Published 22:24 GMT

Grenada inquiry team criticised

The journalist whose article touched off an inquiry into whether the Grenada prime minister received an improper payment from a German businessman, has sharply criticised the inquiry team.

The lawyer for a Commission of Inquiry had told BBC Caribbean that among the things holding up the investigations was the hard time they had getting witnesses.

Resteiner

One of them is the other central player Eric Resteiner, the businessman named in the original newsletter article by the writer David Marchant as the one who allegedly gave Dr Mitchell the money.

Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has consistently denied accepting a payment from the German businessman.

"We want Mr Resteiner to give evidence", said Dr Ramsahoye, "but we hear he has been incarcerated in the United States. He has not offered to give evidence before the inquiry".

Scornful

David Marchant was scornful of Dr Ramsahoye's explanation and questioned how hard it is find Mr Resteiner, especially as he's in an American jail and he (Marchant) gave the commissioner the phone number for Mr Resteiner's lawyer.

"Eric Resteiner is not difficult to find because he's incarcerated", said Mr Marchant, "he's not going anywhere because he's not allowed to".

"He probably gets up at six in the morning to eat his porridge, and then he's locked in his cell for 20 hours a day".

Stalled

The sole commissioner, Barbadian lawyer Richard Cheltenham, has not been speaking publicly about why the process has apparently stalled.

Dr Ramsahoye says that its work has effectively been put on hold because opposition leader Tillman Thomas had gone to court seeking the right to cross-examine witnesses who appeared before the commission.

Mr Thomas won that right, but the commission is appealing the decision.