Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has denied his government's involvement in a spy plot. - File

ST GEORGE'S (CMC):

It's the stuff movies are made of. A group of politicians huddle around a table plotting strategies to form the next government when one of them spots a red flashing light emanating from a nearby abandoned building.

The politicians run towards the building and grab a man, confiscating his electronic devices including a tape recorder. After manhandling the man, they attempted to make a citizen's arrest. However, it was later revealed that the man was a plain-clothes police officer on duty.

The situation has sparked the latest quarrel between the ruling New National Party (NNP) of Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas as Grenada gears for a general election, which is widely expected this year.

National Security Minister Einstein Louison says law enforcement authorities are carrying out investigations into a matter "that could be of a criminal nature where a police officer was held against his will and he has a medical report to support certain harm that was done to him.

Constitutional breach

"I know that the commissioner of police and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are investigating this matter. Police, when they are doing their duties, should be allowed to do their duties," he added.

But Thomas insisted that the act by the police officer "is an unpardonable violation of the constitutional rights of the citizens of Grenada, particularly Her Majesty's opposition.

"There is no legal basis for this (the recording). Absolutely not," Thomas said as his party has laid blame at the feet of Prime Minister Mitchell.

The prime minister is likely to address the nation as soon as the official police report is handed to him and, in the meantime, his party, in power for the past 13 years, has scoffed at the NDC charge.

Independent organ

"The NNP has nothing whatsoever to do with the action of the police. The police are an independent organ of the state and they act independently," said the party's public relations officer, Terrence Forester.

"We must, therefore, allow the commissioner to investigate the matter and to inform whosoever he needs to inform as to why such actions were necessary."

"The complainant was taken to the General Hospital for medical attention and thereafter gave a statement to a member of the Criminal Investigation Department.

"There is a correct and established manner in which we are expected to handle disputes in any civilised society, and the Royal Grenada Police Force would not stand by and allow persons to take the law into their own hands," he said.

The NDC has admitted manhandling the officer but has also strongly denied charges that it was guilty of assault.

"Under our laws you can have citizen's arrest, so we accosted him and we held him" said NDC Deputy Chairman Feron Lowe.

"We had all right as citizens of this country to hold him and we did not batter him, we did not hit him or anything," Lowe told reporters.