BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN light of Jamaica Prime Minister’s (PM) involvement surrounding the ongoing controversy over the extradition of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, St. Kitts and Nevis PM Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas said that his colleague should have allowed the law to take its course.
“Let the court decision be your guide. Let the judicial system take over the matter…and once the court says, ‘Yes he has a charge to answer’, then he should be allowed to answer that charge,” the Jamaica Observer quoted Douglas as saying on Tuesday, may 18.
The Jamaican media house wrote that, Dr. Douglas, while noting it was for the people of the island to decide on PM Bruce Golding’s fate, declared that the situation reminded him of a similar request made by the US government in the 1990s for the extradition of convicted criminal Charles ‘Little Nut’ Miller.
He stated out that it was without hesitation the federal government had moved to have Miller released into US custody.
Dr. Douglas also stated that Miller, who had earlier been freed by the US authorities after he agreed to be part of their Witness Protection Programme, had returned to his homeland and got back into a life of crime.
“Once it was clear that he had started his criminal activity in St. Kitts again and the Americans requested his extradition, I allowed the court system to have its way,” Dr Douglas said, adding “once the court system determined that he (Miller) should go to the United States to answer charges and he had exhausted his own efforts on the ground, he went.
“We don’t hesitate on those things at all, and so our own record can’t in anyway support that there is official support of criminal activity at that level in my country,” the Jamaican newspaper quoted him as saying.
“The court should be allowed to determine the matter. Once you become involved then you don’t know where it is going to end,” he added.
Christopher Michael Coke, who is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party stronghold of West Kingston, is wanted on gun and drug charges in the US. And in addition to Dudus, he is also known as Paul Christopher Scott, Presi, General, President and Shortman to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (USDEA).
Last week Tuesday (May 11), a wide cross section of Jamaica’s society had called for PM Golding’s resignation, following his admission that he sanctioned the retaining of a law firm to lobby the US not to further seek extradition of Coke.
According to The Gleaner, in a national broadcast on Monday (May 17), Golding accepted that he was wrong, pleaded for forgiveness and promised that Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne would sign the extradition request despite claims by his administration that the US breached the rules of engagement. He also pleaded with his critics to back off on the calls for his resignation.
“I am aware that trust can only be restored by forgiveness and atonement. That will take time, and I am committing myself to do everything that is humanly possible to repair the damage that has been done to that trust. In return, I ask for your forgiveness.
“In hindsight, the party should never have become involved in the way that it did and I should never have allowed it, but I must accept responsibility for it and express my remorse to the nation.”
The Gleaner also quoted him as saying, “I crave your understanding. The government has never refused...never refused...the request for the extradition of Christopher Coke. It has simply asked the US authorities to provide additional information that would enable the minister to issue the authorisation in compliance with the terms of the treaty.
“In the controversy that has ensued, we sought the opinion of one of Jamaica’s most eminent lawyers, Dr. Lloyd Barnett, who advised that the issues involved were not sufficiently settled in law and, therefore, the attorney general should seek a declaration from the court before exercising her authority.”
