Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

Three book reviews of   "Dudus: The Extradition of Jamaica's #1 Drug Don" have been published; two in The Jamaica Observer and one in the Jamaica Gleaner. The first was by Rev Dr. Devon Dick entitled 'Devon Dick | Dudus Revisited By Dr Paul Ashley ' published in the Jamaica Gleaner Thursday, September 13, 2018: "Recently, Dr Paul Ashley, attorney-at-law and political commentator, published Dudus: The Extradition of Jamaica's #1 Drug Don, which recounts the "machinations of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to delay and frustrate the extradition of Jamaica's premier drug lord, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke." To achieve that goal, Ashley went to primary sources and published transcripts from both the Manatt, Phelps and Phillips and West Kingston commissions of enquiry. There are such documents scattered over the seven chapters. Ashley provides an overview of this watershed 2010 event then examines the confidentiality breach, the delay...

The original plan completed in January 2010 envisioned the JCF role to arrest, search for evidence and execute the warrant on Dudus; whereas the JDF role at the time would be to provide a cordon to allow this to occur. However, the original focus changed. DCP Glenmore Hinds explains: "It did when the situation was no longer a law enforcement activity but a security operation, when the blockades were reinforced with explosives, when men began to fire at our assets, loot and destroy our assets. It became a situation that our law enforcement assets was just not able to respond.”      (Source; Tivoli COE, Day 30, May 26, 2015, p 48) The Operational Report Extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke 2010 had identified possible escape routes and counter measures: ‘The subject and other targets may attempt to evade capture by using the following routes to escape from the community: – Industrial Terrace – Spanish Town Road vicinity Tivoli Courts – Lizard Town Entrance – ...

The Commissioners have in their report highlighted the glaring fact that the enquiry was severely hampered by the absence of pertinent reports from the intelligence units of the security forces which were operative during the May 2010 debacle. Chapter 13 : "The circumstances under which the fugitive Christopher "Dudus" Coke managed to elude arrest during and after the operation by the security forces of Jamaica in Tivoli Gardens and related areas in May 2010, and the circumstances of his capture," ToR (P) made the telling admission in its Introduction "31.1   The sources of information and evidential foundations of this Chapter are largely based on testimony of members of the security forces. We received no direct evidence from the Heads of Intelligence units or any self-acknowledged Intelligence units or analysts except for DCP Hinds . However, we were provided with opinions or assessments, formed by officers in light of the Intelligence reports supplied t...

The Terms Of Reference Of The West Kingston Commission of Enquiry mandates the enquiry into inter alia: “(n) whether there was any direct or indirect communication between the fugitive  Christopher “Dudus” Coke, and any Jamaican Government Official (or Officials) or  any agent thereof, during the period between when the Request for Extradition was  first communicated to the Jamaican Government or any of its agents or officials  and when the fugitive Christopher “Dudus” Coke was arrested;  and if so, by which  Officials and or agents thereof, the nature of any or all such communications, by  what means and for what purposes.” No evidence has been adduced before the COE from which the inference could be made that any official of the Government of Jamaica directly or indirectly contacted Christopher “Dudus” Coke regarding the imminent request for his extradition. ( See our Tivoli COE: Who tipped off Dudus? ) Both the then Minister of National...

From the evidence adduced at the Western Kingston Commission of Enquiry there was no joint Police-Military operation in May 2010 with the prime purpose of executing the arrest warrant for Christopher “Dudus” Coke. Officially, the warrant for the arrest of Coke was the remit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). However, given the very limited capabilities of the JCF, the assistance of the Jamaica Defence (JDF) was critical to any such operation, even more so given the influence and resources of the Don in question. So in all operations even a token presence of a member of the JCF was mandatory outside of a declared state of emergency. In the latter case the army is given overwhelming police powers, chief among which is the power to arrest. Hence under a declared state of emergency army units need not have a member of the JCF present. It is against this background that the operation to capture Coke must be assessed. • The surveillance party was composed of resources from t...

              Date: August 24, 2009 Time Early afternoon Place: Vale Royal Topic: The Extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke Participants: Prime Minister, Hon. Bruce Golding                      Chief Defence Staff, Major General Stewart Saunders                     Commissioner of Police, Rear Adm. Hardley Lewin Only PM and the CDS gave testimony at the Tivoli COE. No reason was given for the omission of the COP. A review of the verbatim notes reveal some very interesting anomalies which will have to be resolved in the Commission’s Report. For example: i) Duration: PM Golding testified that the meeting lasted “no more than five minutes" ; whereas the CDS said that “.. we spoke with the PM for about fifteen or twenty minutes”.  Lewin elsewhere has given the impression that the meeting was unexpectedly brief: “So the PM says”...