(WXYZ) The Governor’s office contacted the Wayne County Prosecutor about concerns that removing the Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office could harm the prosecutor’s criminal investigation, according to a source who asked not to be identified.
The Detroit City Council voted to ask Governor Jennifer Granholm to remove Kilpatrick from office in May. The Governor has not said what she will do.
But Action News was told the Governor’s office reached out to Worthy in June with concerns that if she were to remove the mayor from office, he could claim “double jeopardy,” meaning the Mayor could argue he was punished once by the Governor and, therefore, could not be punished again if the prosecutor succeeded in convicting him in the criminal case.
Wayne State University Law School Professor Peter Henning says double jeopardy does not apply and removal of the Mayor from office would not hamper Worthy’s criminal case.
“Legally, it does not affect her case,” said Henning.
Henning explains that the possible removal is a civil matter, the other case is criminal and they are not related.
Earlier this year, Worthy’s office charged Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty with perjury and other illegal acts for allegedly lying under oath in a police whistle-blower lawsuit.
The Governor’s spokesperson Liz Boyd would not comment on whether the Governor’s office contacted Worthy.
Maria Miller, spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, had no comment.
