The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel's "whistleblower" characterisation of Jonathan Ash has raised questions about his level of willingness to participate as the key witness in the Crown's criminal trials against two former Cabinet ministers, Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell said yesterday.

Mr Bethel made the statement as he stressed on Tuesday there was "nothing untoward" about payments the government was still making to Mr Ash for debt still on the books when the Minnis administration took office.

Mr Ash is the key Crown witness in separate bribery cases against Shane Gibson, former Labour Minister, and Kenred Dorsett who served as Housing and Environment Minister under the former Christie administration.

In a press statement yesterday, Mr Mitchell said Mr Bethel's comments this week made it hard to see how justice can be served in either bribery case.

"We are incredulous today after reading an incredible headline about the star witness in the government's signature case of alleged corruption," Mr Mitchell said in his press release.

"The Attorney General Carl Bethel has declared Jonathan Ash to be a whistleblower. He did so in the course of confirming that payments are being received for contracts, which the AG says were legally contracted prior to their coming to office.

"The AG suppresses at every turn discussion in the Senate on these cases of alleged corruption when we raise it in Parliament.

"The Attorney General, however, now has no compunction in becoming judge in his own cause and declaring someone to be a whistleblower, i.e., a willing witness to a prosecution."

He continued: "Surely the question must be determined within a proper judicial setting whether or not the witness is in fact a whistleblower. Is he a volunteer or has he been induced, bullied or cajoled? Those are questions the defence counsel must raise in a trial."

"This is particularly so against the fact of evidence already evinced before the court about the conduct of the Crown and its witnesses in one of these cases in which the "whistleblower" is the chief witness.

"Things get curiouser and curiouser. We again call for these cases to end. The atmosphere within which they are occurring is so toxic that it is hard to see how justice will be served," Mr Mitchell said.