Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

                              Below is the substance of the Warrant signed by Dorothy Lightbourne, Minister of Justice, dated June 24, 2010:  giving governmental approval for the extradition of  Christopher "Dudus" Coke.                                              THE EXTRADITION ACT 1991                                     WARRANT OF MINISTER FOR EXTRADlTION OF FUGITIVE To the Superintendent of the Red Fence Adult Correctional Centre, Kingston , and to all and each of the Constables of the Jamaica Constabulary Force: WHEREAS a request has been made to me for the surrender of Christopher Michael Coke aka “Michael Christopher Coke”, aka “ P aul Christopher Scott”, aka “Presi” aka “Genera...

  Below is the substance of the Warrant of Committal  after Christopher Coke consented to extradition without formal proceedings.  Such was signed by Geogiana Fraser, Resident Magistrate for the Corporate Area, dated June 24, 2010                                          THE EXTRADITION ACT, 1991                      WARRANT OF COMMITTAL UNDER SECTION 17(2) IN                          RELATION TO CONSENT TO BEING EXTRADITED To all and each of the Constables of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the Superintendent of the Red Fence Adult Correctional Centre , in the parish of Kingston: WHEREAS, Christopher Michael Coke aka “Michael Christopher Coke”, aka “Paul Christopher Scott” aka “Presi” aka “General” aka "President" aka “Duddus” aka “Sh...

Below is the substance of the Warrant Of Arrest signed by Georgina Fraser, Resident Magistrate for theCorporate Area, dated May 18, 2010                                         THE EXTRADITION ACT 1991                                              WARRANT OF ARREST To all and each of the Constables of the Jamaica Constabulary Force: WHEREAS I have received from the Honourable Dorothy Lightbourne, Minister of Justice, an Authority to Proceed in the case of Christopher Michael Coke aka Michael Christopher Coke, aka Paul Christopher Scott, aka “Presi” aka “Gen- eral”, aka “President”, aka “Duddus”, aka “Shortman ” who is accused of the extradition offences of (1) Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 1,000 kilograms and more of mixtur...

Below is the substance of The  Authority To Proceed signed by Dorothy Lightbourne, Minister of Justice, dated May 18, 2010                                                      THE EXTRADITION ACT 1991                                                        AUTHORITY TO PROCEED To the Resident Magistrate for the Corporate Area WHEREAS a request has been duly made to me, Dorothy Lightbourne, Minister of Justice, on behalf of the United States of America for the surrender of fugitive Christopher Michael Coke, aka Michael Christopher Coke, aka Paul Christopher Scott, aka “Presi”, aka “General”, aka “President ”, aka “Duddus”, aka “Shortman” who is accused of the extradition offences of (1) Conspiracy to d...

No. 296 The Embassy of the United States of America presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Government of Jamaica and has the honor to request the extradition of Christopher Michael COKE, aka Michael Christopher Coke, Paul Christopher Scott, Duddus, President, Presi, Short Man, and Gereral. The Embassy has the further honor to submit one original certified, authenticated and three copies of documents supporting the extradition request of Christopher Michael Coke. The Embassy also requests seizure of all articles, instruments, objects of value, documents or other evidence relating to the offenses for surrender with the fugitive if extradition to the United States is granted. COKE is wanted to stand trial on narcotics charges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He is the subject of superseding indictment number S15 07 Cr. 917 (RPP), filed on February 19, 2009, charging him with conspiracy to distr...

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 – ...

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”...

            Apart from making a phone call to Prime Mister Bruce Golding informing him that COP Hardley Lewin and CDS Major General Stuart Saunders was in his company and had certain information which would be on interest to him, what else did Minister of National Security, Hon. Dwight Nelson, do in respect of the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke? It is very difficult to avoid the answer: “Next to nothing”. • There is no evidence before the Tivoli COE from which one could even reasonably infer that Nelson made another phone call concerning the impending request. • Minister Nelson did not accompany the COP and the CDS to the Prime Minister and did not discuss with either of the heads of the security forces or the Prime Minister what took place at that meeting. • The Minister admitted that he absolutely did not have any responsibility in the extradition matters. • At no stage did the Minister of National Security get involved. • Nelson h...