Grenada PM says 'leave my son alone'

Olinga Mitchell has been appointed as a legal advisor in finance ministry

Tuesday, 14th August 2018

In the face of many negative public criticisms, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Keith Mitchell has for the first time commented on the appointment of his own son Olinga Mitchell as Legal Advisor in the Ministry of Finance.

Addressing Tuesday’s Post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministerial Complex in the Botanical Gardens, Dr. Mitchell told reporters that the decision he took to give the job to his son was aimed at getting him to make a contribution to the development of the country in which he resides.

“Leave Olinga alone, he is a nice young man…”, said PM Mitchell who has been accused of engaging in nepotism over the controversial appointment.

The U.S-born Olinga is known to be engaged in several business deals including the passport-selling Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme, the sale of nutmegs, and shareholder of a company that has expressed an interest in the importation of sand for the construction sector.

According to the Prime Minister, it is unfortunate that his son was the subject of innuendos from the public when he is highly qualified for the position in which he operates.

“It is unfortunate that my son became an issue, in fact it is extremely unfortunate…it’s not just Legal Advisor – he is doing other work. My son, he has a degree in law and he has been called to the bar in three states in America. So, he is clearly well qualified and of course he is an engineer, he has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering…”, he said.

“It was my advice to him while he was doing a lot of private sector initiatives to zero in on some areas and give us service. It’s me that says (to him) time to settle down, get something more specific and give some contribution, some knowledge and I think it’s extremely unfortunate”, he added.

Critics have pointed to the fact that as a qualified attorney-at-law in the United States, Olinga is not qualified to practice in the local courts unless he undergoes six months of legal training at a regional law school.

Prime Minister Mitchell did not take too kindly the utterances from some persons about his appointing Olinga to serve under him in the Ministry of Finance.