For Whom was Clarence Mitchell Working?

Regular readers will recall this anomoly

On the 8th September, News 24, a South African website carried this report:

"Clarence Mitchell said father Gerry McCann told him that he and his wife expected clarification of their legal status within 48 hours. Their lawyer said late on Friday that police had declared the parents suspects in the May 3 disappearance.

"They are in broad agreement that they should get out as soon as they can," Mitchell told The Associated Press by telephone from Britain. Whether Portuguese police will allow them to leave is unclear, though their passports are not believed to have been seized up until now.

Mitchell said Kate and Gerry McCann had previously intended to leave southern Portugal, where they have stayed since their daughter vanished from a hotel room during a family vacation, on Sunday night.

"They are determined to prove this is a travesty ... and clear their names," Mitchell said of the police allegations about their possible involvement."

You will recall that at the time, Clarence Mitchell was the working as director of the Media Monitoring Unit and the spokesperson for the McCanns was Justine McGuinness.

This puzzled me, so I decided to do a piece of citizen journalism.

On the COI website I noticed that it was possible to request infromation under the Freedom of Information Act. And so I sent the following email:

"I am writing to ask what notice period a senior member of the COI would be expected to give before leaving their post.

Also are members of the COI allowed to work for clients outside of their role as COI employees? For instance working as a spokesperson for a third person."

Today I recieved a reply:

"According to COI's HR policy, staff who decide to leave COI are expected to give anything from one week to three months notice. However, at the time of resignation COI may, by agreement with the employee concerned, accept a shorter period.

I presume your enquiry was prompted by Clarence Mitchell's recent departure from COI to work for the McCann family. Clarence resigned from his post as Director of the Media Monitoring Unit on 17 Sept 2007, with immediate effect.

To clarify, earlier this year Clarence was seconded from COI to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to help provide media liaison support through the British Consulate in the initial stages of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine, he was not in a client relationship with the McCann family.

Questions relating to the reasons for his resignation and subsequent employment by the McCann family are for him to answer and I refer you to the McCann press office."

This reply does not clarify why Mr Mitchell should have been giving interviews to the Assoiated Press Agency, when working as a government employee.

Nor does it explain why other enquires made to the Foreign Office about Mr Mitchell's work, should have been returned with a request to contact the COI. Since this makes clear that Mr Mitchell was on secondment to the Foriegn Office.

peace:)