I did not refuse to go to court! – PM

by Kenton X Chance Tue, Jul 27, 2010

There is a disparity between his non-appearance in court to answer the rape allegation that had been brought against him, and former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell’s non-appearance at the Ottley Hall Inquiry says Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.{{more}}

“Let everybody understand this: I did not refuse to go to court,” Gonsalves told the media on Tuesday, July 20.

On January 3, 2008, a member of Gonsalves’ security detail accused him of raping her.

The case was nolle prossed by Colin Williams, Director of Public Prosecution and the cop’s lawyers’ appeals failed in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Gonsalves said.

The President of the Family Court had also ruled as frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of the court’s power, an application to have the case heard in that court, he added.

A civil action was entered in the High Court but was later withdrawn by the plaintiff.

Gonsalves said he wanted Sir James to explain the Ottley Hall Marina project. That undertaking left the nation with a debt of $200 million but was valued between $3.5 million and $7 million. The Gonsalves’ administration later secured debt forgiveness for the project.

Gonsalves said Sir James “had a lot of mouth that he would appear” before the Ottley Hall Commission of Inquiry, which is trying to determine if anyone is culpable for the fiasco.

The prime minister is of the opinion that Sir James had the opportunity to explain in his autobiography “Beyond the Islands” what had happened at Ottley Hall but had failed to do so.

“If he had half page, he has plenty. I wonder why,” Gonsalves said, adding, “he should be able to enlighten us. All I know, his mouth is frozen like an Arctic river on that.”

At the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) Convention held on July 18, Sir James sharing his views on the issue, said: “If the policeman charge you for theft, the policeman has to show what you steal, and he has to say how much and he has to say when and where.

“What the hell I have to say when I know I aint thief nuttin?” said Sir James, as he explained his reason for refusing to testify before the Inquiry.

“I want to say to you: My conscience is as clear as the waters flowing down the mountainside to Majorca,” he said, referring to a local water catchment.

Gonsalves had also used the opportunity to show the disparity between the US$1 million allegedly deposited in government accounts at the National Commercial Bank (NCB) under his administration and monies Sir James received from the Nano family, who had owned offshore banks here.

Gonsalves claimed that Sir James had not explained satisfactorily what he had done with monies from the Nano Family. A member of that family, Thierry Nano, who headed the family’s financial operations here fled SVG in November 2001 shortly after he was accused of money laundering in South Florida.

The Nano family has publicly demanded the repayment of unsecured, interest-free loans that they claimed to have issued to government ministers, including then Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell.