ST. GEORGE‘S, Grenada: Dr. Richard Lionel Cheltenham, the sole commissioner in the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of bribery on the part of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, made his inaugural statement on Friday, saying the evidence of Eric Resteiner, Timothy Bass and David Marchant is important and the commission is willing to go to them if they cannot come to Grenada. Timothy Bass is a former chief of security of Eric Resteiner who claimed that he taped the transaction between his boss, a former diplomat of Grenada and Prime Minister Mitchell. David Marchant broke the story in Offshore Alert, a financial newsletter operating out of Miami. The Commissioner revealed that an Assistant Superintendent of Police has been appointed to find out the whereabouts of the essential witnesses who are living outside of Grenada. He says though he has to give his report 30 days after the first sitting he may have to go back to the sponsoring authority, in this case the Governor General, in for an extension of time in case it becomes necessary. The appointment of Eric Resteiner as a diplomatic representative of Grenada will be looked at, and especially the criteria or protocols that exist regulating the appointment of non-Grenadians to diplomatic positions. The Prime Minister claimed that he received approximately US$15,000 from Resteiner, which represented expenses incurred by him and other public officials who accompanied him on a visit of several European countries and Kuwait. As a result the Commission will look at what mechanisms are in place for the reimbursements of authorized expenses by members of government and other public officials. The Commissioner said the date for the commencement of the inquiry in earnest, when witnesses will start giving evidence, will be announced once everything is in place. Meanwhile opposition forces and other sectors in Grenada say they are concerned that the resources of the state are being used inappropriately. One of the Caribbean’s top criminal lawyers, Ramesh Maharaj, arrived at the augural session of the Commission of Inquiry on Friday in a state car GP10. He indicated that he is representing the interest of Dr. Keith Mitchell, which is of course different from the interests of the Government of Grenada. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com