ST GEORGE'S, GRENADA: Some Grenadian lawyers want members of the cabinet of Grenada to pay from their own pockets some of the 17 million dollars the Privy Council says has to be paid to Trinidadian firm Dipcon. Earlier this year, the court ruled that the government of Grenada was in breach of contract by terminating an agreement the state had with the engineering firm in 1995. Following the recent ruling the government itself acknowledged that its legal affairs department failed to provide a defense in the matter. A local newspaper is reporting this weekend that some local lawyers believe they could find a case in law to mandate that the members of the cabinet that took the decision to terminate the contract to pay from their own accounts. According to the Grenada Today newspaper the lawyers want the members of the 1995 cabinet to pay at least half of the amount. According to the report the move is being spearhead by Cajeton Hood, who once served as the Prime Minister's Permanent Secretary before qualifying for the bar. Advocate Anselm Clouden and Arli Gill, who is also an opposition Senator, are among other lawyers named as looking to bring the suit. "I am charged with doing some of the research on it. This is no joke matter. It's wrong for taxpayers (alone) to be saddled with this kind of payment (to DIPCON). I will keep you posted on it. This is a serious thing", Hood was quoted by the newspaper as saying. The lawyers are confident that they may be able to find a case in law to force the members of the cabinet to pay. The London-based Privy Council ruled last month that the Government of Grenada and then Minister of Communications and Works, Gregory Bowen should compensate the Trinidad and Tobago-based Dipcon for millions of dollars due to the illegal termination of a construction contract. The newspaper report said lawyers intend to argue that the entire Mitchell administration demonstrated "reckless" behavior and had "endangered the funds of the State." DIPCON's local attorney, Celia Clyne-Edwards has indicated that she has already put in motion the legal mechanisms to enforce the judgment on Minister Bowen and the Grenada government. The lawyer could seize the personal property of the Deputy Prime Minister if the State fails to reach agreement on a schedule of payments to satisfy the judgment from the Privy Council. SOURCE: CARIBUPDATE.COM