ST. GEORGE‘S, Grenada: The main opposition party in Grenada, as well as other parliamentarians in the region say, they will impress on CARICOM heads to ask Prime Minister Mitchell to step aside to allow the Commission of Inquiry to take place into allegations of bribery against Dr. Mitchell. Mitchell is alleged to have received $500,000 in cash in a briefcase from then Grenadian diplomat Eric Resteiner in Switzerland in 2000. The opposition believes that Dr. Mitchell’s determination to hold on to power while he is being investigated is bringing into question the democratic process in the region. A group of parliamentarians from the different CARICOM countries says that Dr. Mitchell, who is CARICOM chairman, should not be allowed to speak on behalf of the regional body until his name is cleared of the serious allegations of bribery. They claim, though, the principle that a man is innocent until proven guilty is applicable here but the application of the principle of having impeccable representation with no inquiry hanging over his or her head is key to the region and its interest. The parliamentarians are of the view that it will be difficult for Dr. Mitchell to speak of good governance and honesty in public office when the outcome of the inquiry is not yet known and no one should anticipate what the outcome would be. This perhaps is a test case for CARICOM leaders where they would determine whether it is in their best interest to have a chairman who has being accused of a serious allegation and has an inquiry over his head or whether they should have an interim chairman until the “smoke “ is cleared. There were indications Monday that a campaign will begin to seek the removal of Dr. Mitchell as Prime Minister until the report of the Commission is presented. Meanwhile, the main opposition and Grenadians in general have indicated their satisfaction with the terms of reference as spelt out by Commissioner Lionel Richard Cheltenham. However, there is general concern about whether the government would make the necessary resources available, since Dr. Mitchell has refused to step aside while the Commission of Inquiry is being conducted. There are fears that Dr. Mitchell could impede the smooth running of the inquiry. Another point raised is that he is still the Minister of National Security and it may create fear in minds of the two policemen scheduled to give evidence in the inquiry. There is also some skepticism over the choice of Grenada’s top traffic cop, Assistant Superintendent of Police Michael Francois, to head the investigation in preference to trained members of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The FIU is the body created for such investigations and has international ties to similar organizations. Former leader of the opposition Michael Baptiste, who was once a member of Mitchell’s administration, asked during a local radio program whether a briefcase containing $500,000 was placed in a vehicle and was lost among the traffic. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com