Says Gov’t has no authority to proceed against his client.
THE lead attorney for Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher “Dudus” Coke said Friday he was baffled by Government’s decision to sanction extradition proceedings against his client, after months of refusing to do so on grounds that the evidence was illegally obtained.
Don Foote, who along with Paul Beswick appears for Coke, said Prime Minister Bruce Golding does not have the authority to direct Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne to give the green light to start with extradition proceedings.
Additionally, he said that Lightbourne had not presented any new material that would cause her to act as she did, given the fact that she had been adamant that extradition proceedings could not have been brought against Coke with the information at hand.
Furthermore, Coke’s legal team has pointed out that it was only a few weeks ago that Lightbourne had sought declarations in the High Court, as to her power under the Extradition Act to consider evidence illegally obtained in her decision not to sign the extradition request that had been on her desk since last August.
But Coke will have to wait until May 31 before being able to launch phase one of his legal battle against the justice minister’s decision giving the authority to commence with extradition proceedings against him.
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