New details emerge concerning former Grenada PM's citizenship
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| Published on Saturday, November 1, 2008 |
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ST GEORGE’S, Grenada: The US State Department confirmed on Friday that former prime minister of Grenada and current leader of the opposition, Keith Mitchell, relinquished his US citizenship on June 20, 1995.
This new information from the US government followed an inquiry made by the Attorney General of Grenada earlier this week
In a press statement on Friday, Attorney General Jimmy Bristol said, “The people of Grenada are finally aware of the true status of Keith Mitchell citizenship and that his election to the House of Representatives from 1984 up to the elections in June 1995 were in breach of section 31 of the Grenada constitution. “
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| Grenada’s opposition leader and former prime minister, Dr Keith Mitchell |
“Indeed his first stint as Prime Minister, from June of 1995, is also tainted with illegality, as at the time of that election, he was a citizen of the United States of America,” Bristol added.
Section 31 of the Grenada constitution provides that no person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives if he is by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.
On being granted American citizenship – believed to be in 1984 – Mitchell would have had to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States, which allegiance would presumably have continued, in breach of the constitution, during the 11 years from the time he was first elected as a member of parliament in Grenada, also in 1984, until he relinquished his US citizenship in 1995.
In the meantime, Shadow Minister for Legal Affairs Dwight Horsford has called for Bristol’s resignation.
Horsford said he is making this call following what he described as a political charade when Bristol called on Mitchell to step down from parliament on the basis that he is a United States citizen.
According to Horsford, the action by Bristol is yet another attempt by him and his administration to harass and attack the former prime minister at any cost and to mislead the nation. | | | | Reads : 1100 |
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