Government official threatens legal action against Opposition Leader

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, Jan 10 (CMC) - Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas said Wednesday he is prepared to defend his statement regarding the Office of the Attorney General in a private legal matter involving a senior government official. "We have strong points why we should take that position," Tillman told reporters after hearing that Legal Advisor to the Cabinet, Hugh Wildman had indicated that he would be filing a suit against the Opposition Leader over his remarks. "I'm going to sue the Leader of the Opposition for the statements he made about government paying my legal fee," Wildman said making reference to his legal battle with the Judicial and Legal Services Commission of the Eastern Caribbean States. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Wildman showed reporters correspondence indicating that he had paid British Queen Counsel James Guthrie GBP15,000 (US$29,000) for his services. "I can also confirm that there has been no agreement between Mr. Guthrie and the Attorney General or any other representative of the Government of Grenada with regard to your case. Mr. Guthrie was instructed by you," said the document dated January 9, 2007. One local newspaper had suggested that Guthrie had been paid EC$1 million (US$370,000) for his services. But Thomas said he was not in a position to confirm the newspaper story, adding that he had a copy of the document, filed in the Court of Grenada on December 1 last year, stating that the Office of the Attorney General is to act on the behalf of Mr. Wildman in that private matter. "What I'm stating, once the Attorney General's Chamber is representing somebody that is a cost on the Government and people of Grenada" Thomas said. Thomas said that it was his responsibility as Opposition Leader to seek to ensure that government offices were not used to facilitate private and personal affairs. "The attorney General is the legal advisor to the Government and people of Grenada and you cannot use the Attorney General's Chambers for private proceedings," he added.