Jamaican PM denies recommending extradition

Prime Minister Bruce Golding

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- On Thursday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding told the Commission of Enquiry currently ongoing in Jamaica that he did not advise attorney general Dorothy Lightbourne to sign the authority to proceed with the extradition process against alleged drug kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. The Jamaican Observer reported that the attorney for the opposition People's National Party (PNP), K.D. Knight, asked the prime minister if he had made his preference known to Lightbourne. However, Golding replied that he could not disclose that.

Golding became agitated and argumentative over Knight's line of questioning on legal matters, which the prime minister said he could not understand. However, he agreed that the different positions taken at different times on the issue could give the impression that there was an effort to delay signing the authority to proceed against Coke. "Yes, But it could not be well founded," said Golding. He earlier explained that Lightbourne had various concerns with the extradition request. He also said that Coke was not being defended because of his allegiance to the ruling Jamaican Labour Party.

Following the lunch break, Knight continued his heated cross-examination of the prime minister, calling him a "pathological mendacious person". Knight had suggested that Golding was lying to Parliament and the public when he spoke last year about the hiring of United States law firm, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips The attorney also said that Golding and the JLP feared Coke and the impact his extradition would have on the party.

He charged that Golding tried to prevent the extradition because of this. However, the prime minister denied this. Patrick Atkinson, the attorney for People's National Party (PNP) politician, Peter Phillips, also on Thursday accused the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government of establishing the Commission of Enquiry to cover-up their actions during the prolonged extradition of Coke. Atkinson had begun his cross-examination of Golding when he made the accusation. The Jamaica Observer reported that Golding responded, "That's not so."