The Jamaican Government remains mum this afternoon, a day after a Sunday Gleaner exclusive revealed that the administration lied about the Manatt affair.
The article reveals that it was the Government that hired the US based law-firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips in the ‘Dudus’ extradition row and not the JLP.
For months, the administration had been maintaining that it was the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) which hired the firm to help to resolve a treaty dispute even though Manatt had kept saying it was representing the Jamaican Government.
However, under the Access to Information Act, The Gleaner obtained copies of email correspondences between Manatt, the solicitor general, Douglas Leys and local attorney Harold Brady confirming that the deal was a Government affair.
It was part of move to prevent the extradition of alleged crime lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, who has since been extradited to the US on gun an drugs charges.
Coke was a powerful community don from the Prime Minister’s West Kingston constituency.
This morning commerce minister Karl Samuda who has been the Government’s spokesman on the Manatt matter said he had no comment on the issue.
He also said there would be no statement forthcoming.
In the meantime, the Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller has summoned officers of the PNP to a meeting this afternoon to determine the next course of action.
Speaking at a South West Clarendon constituency conference in Kemps Hill last night Simpson Miller said the country felt betrayed by the Government.
Last night, the PNP president also placed comrades on election alert saying Prime Minister Golding could be forced to resign.
According to Simpson Miller, Golding was too compromised to remain in office.
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