ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) – Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has welcomed a High Court ruling that ordered an attorney and a newspaper editor to pay EC$120,000 (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) to him over an article claiming that he was engaged in corrupt practices.

Mitchell said that while the wheels of justice “grinds very slowly”, he is hoping that the media in general act much more responsible.

“People have a right to protect their character. Hopefully, this sends the right message so that the media act more responsible,” said Prime Minister Mitchell, adding that “the press must be free but also be responsible”.

High Court judge, Sir Clare Roberts, on Tuesday evening ordered attorney and columnist Lloyd Noel and George Worme, the editor of the Grenada Today newspaper, to pay the award to Mitchell, who claimed that he had been defamed by an article published on October 8, 2008.

The Court also ordered the duo to pay costs of EC$18,000.

Attorney Dr Lawrence Joseph, who was one of Mitchell’s legal team, said that the article was in reference to the ownership of land where Grand Beach hotel is located, south of here, which was held by government to a company owned by British Formula One racing car champion, Lewis Hamilton, whose father is a Grenadian national.

The intellectual property of Lewis Hamilton should have been used to promote tourism in Grenada as part of the deal.

This is the second court matter involving the same newspaper article where both Worme and Noel have lost.

Earlier this year, Agricultural economist and Grenada’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Dr Patrick Antoine, was awarded more than EC$500,000 against Noel and the Grenada Today newspaper, which has since gone into liquidation.

But court official say the new court ruling will affect Worme directly because the lawsuit was filed in his name and not in the name of the newspaper.