ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA: All the answers surrounding the Grenada Commission of Inquiry will be answered by month end before it actually begins to sit, sole commissioner Richard Cheltenham has said. Cheltenham was formally sworn in Friday as the commissioner to probe allegations of wrong-doing against Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell arising out of a controversial European trip in 2000. Sources close to the Commission tell CARIBUPDATE that though it will primarily sit in St George’s, it will be given leave to go outside of the island to interview people who it thinks might have pertinent information to the investigation. Cheltenham will disclose the details of his brief in less than two weeks. The opposition in Grenada has said that the facts behind the bribery allegations may never be known unless the commissioners are given access to Eric Resteiner, the infamous former Grenadian ambassador now reportedly in US custody, his former assistant Timothy Bass and journalist David Marchant, who first reported the story. All three are in the United States. Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has hired Trinidadian Attorney Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj to be his defense attorney for the hearing, but indications are that more lawyers might be added to the team. Marchant, who could be a top witness for the commission, is reported to have said that he is not holding his breath for a fair probe. “I have little confidence that the jurisdiction of Grenada, which is corrupt from top to bottom, will investigate this matter professionally, competently or impartially,” a public post on his website under his name stated. “Grenada is one of the most corrupt countries that I have had dealings with. It is rotten from top to bottom and, as such, I have little or no faith in the jurisdiction,” the post further stated. “I have documents and/or other evidence indicating there were pay-offs by offshore banks to Michael Creft, the former chief regulator; Hugh Wildman, when he was Director of Public Prosecutions; the then President of the Grenada Bar Association and others, including pay-offs to thwart an FBI investigation. I also have documents showing that directors of one fraudulent bank included a former Prime Minister, a former Governor-General, and two current magistrates,” he said in expressing his skepticism. “My confidence in Grenada's willingness to investigate this matter fairly or properly was not helped by the fact that details of the proposed commission of inquiry were first announced several weeks ago by Keith Mitchell himself. It seemed highly irregular to me for the target of an investigation to be the person announcing it would take place” the post attributed to Marchant stated further. Inspite of his reservations, many legal watchers in the Caribbean regard Cheltenham as a competent and diligent jurist who operates with the highest ethical standards. Even the Grenadian opposition has praised his credentials, though they have said if the terms are not well spelt out, it can undermine his work. SOURCE: CARIBUPDATE.COM