BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WHILE a press release disseminated by the Communications Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister (CUOPM) claimed that he threatened law enforcement officers and their families, Michael Powell - former Deputy Prime Minister in the PAM administration - on the other hand said it was not a threat but a warning.
A release issued by CUOPM indicated that Powell made the threat on March 18, 2014 during an appearance on Sugar City FM’s “Straight Talk” programme.
The release attributed a number of quotes to Powell in which he is reported to have said “to our law abiding police officers and to the decent people who are in what we call the army, be careful, be careful, do not shed one drop of Christian blood in this country on behalf of Douglas...”
Powell rebuffed the accusations during an interview with SKNVibes yesterday (Mar. 27).
“I made the point that it’s alleged that the small corps of persons in the army...who claim that they have a hit list of citizens...And I said if that is so, I want to send these people a warning...let me give you some advice not to do it. I said don’t go and shoot anybody for Douglas...”
Powell said he had not seen the press release issued by CUOPM, but when this reporter read the quotes contained therein which have been attributed to him, he did not deny making them but repeated that no threat was issued but rather, a word of caution and a warning given.
“I have not seen the press release. I am not interested in the press release. It’s a whole bunch of rubbish as far as I’m concerned. The tape is available. The radio station has the tape, the police have the tape. There is nothing there for me to defend.”
The former Deputy Prime Minister said he was approached by Inspector Charles Smithen, Head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), concerning the same matter. He said they both sat and listened to a recording of his statements.
“I have not been arrested...I have not been taken into custody. I was called by Inspector Smithen of the CID and told that he would like to have a word with me. I voluntarily went and saw Inspector Smithen and he had a word with me. That’s the end of that. He did not find any reason to charge me or anything.”
When asked to whom he was referring when he made the statements, Powell informed that he was speaking to “a small corps in the Defence Force”.
He said the highlighting of his statements is “a bunch of ado about nothing” and that it is “designed to take people’s attention from the high cost of living, the 17 percent VAT, the 85 percent in electricity...That is the kind of politics we have in this country. That’s what it is, a distraction...”
SKNVibes made attempts to contact Inspector Smithen via telephone and cell phone but was unsuccessful.
A press release issued by CUOPM earlier today (Mar. 28) informed that the Police Force’s morning report for the day, “Michael Powell was called into the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and cautioned about the inappropriate remarks which he made during his programme on Sugar City FM”.
CUOPM also informed that Powell “was also read various sections of the Sedition and Undesirable Publication Act Chapter 4.34 of the Laws of the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis ad discussed the various offences outlined therein”.
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