Las May, The Gleaner, Mar 19, 2010
Remember what the donkey said?: the worl nuh level. Translation: There's no level playing field. While the Jamaican government is catching hell from all sides for not surrendering to the US's request to extradite Christopher 'Dudus' Coke on various charges, the most serious of which seems to be drug-running, India has practically given up on trying to extradite US citizen David Coleman Headley, who is accused of being the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Headley who has Pakistani roots is also accused of conspiring to target a Danish newspaper. He has pleaded guilty to all terror charges before a US court.
In spite of this the US refuses to extradite Headley to India. Neither will he recieve the death penalty. According to an India Today article:
49-year-old Headley, who faces six counts of conspiracy involving bombing public places in India, murdering and maiming persons in India and providing material support to foreign terrorist plots and LeT; and six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India, could have been sentenced to death if convicted.
But his plea agreement with federal prosecutors ruled out the death penalty and extradition to India, Pakistan and
Denmark, provided that he cooperates with the government's terrorism investigations.
"Headley will cooperate in foreign investigation conducted in the US," his lawyer John Theis told reporters after the hearing.
Headley, a Chicago resident who was arrested by the FBI's joint terrorism task force on October 3 last year, told US District Judge Harry Leinenweber that he wanted to change his plea to guilty, in an apparent bid to get a lighter sentence than the maximum death penalty.
Son of a former Pakistani diplomat and a Philadelphia socialite, Headley, who was wearing an orange jumpsuit with hands and legs shackled, admitted guilty in all 12 counts during half an hour long hearing.
Meanwhile back home on the rock Police are worried that if Dudus is extradited the country's 268 gangs will unite in protest and wage a war against 'law and order.'
In its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, the Barack Obama administration castigated Jamaica's Golding administration for not handing strongman Coke to the US as requested. As the report noted:
The GOJ’s unusual handling of the August request for the extradition of a high-profile Jamaican crime lord with reported ties to the ruling JLP which currently holds a majority in Parliament, on alleged drug and firearms trafficking charges marked a dramatic change in GOJ’s previous cooperation on extradition, including a temporary suspension in the processing of all other pending requests and raises serious questions about the GOJ’s commitment to combating transnational crime.
For more on the Dudus extradition read this Stabroek News article and my earlier post on the subject.
For more on Headley read this New York Times article and watch the following videos. Interestingly Headley was also a heroin dealer under investigation by the DEA in the nineties.
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9 comments:
Very enlightening, Annie. Now would you just look at that though?? Hmph. Donkey right: the world nuh level at all.
Hey Ruthi,
Thanks for visiting and leaving comment...damn right it ain't. bray bray!
Annie,
Another crooked way the US draws a straight line down the middle. Headley's extradition is prevented to protect his double-agent status with LeT and CIA.
A man is known by the company he keeps. US has Pakistan for friends. Go figure. ;)
Hail Annie Paul, the cases mentioned area miles apart. The US 'inJustice' system is more than capable of 'persecuting' this damn terrorist if he has done the crime...so why extradite?
In the case of Prezi / Dudus he will never face any court in Jamaica. Check this, the US was supplied with information legally obtained by the Jamaican police (some are now trying to paint the picture as if it were one officer acting alone). The information is incriminating but was supposedly supplied in an illegal manner.
Fine, lets say we buy that load of horse manure. Why isn't the same evidence being used to bring charges locally / in Jamaica. Surely it could be used to establish local crime dealings or connections. Yeah, that will happen!
The truth is Dudus is president of Jamaica and the system will always ensure tat gets a presidential pardon.
Finally, you have fallen prey to the language of the press "strongman Coke". Hahaha...I hope they don't want our fastman Bolt or hot girl Annie... these we certainly can't live without!
Peace and love, Stero
Stero,
What would I do without you?
Still maintain there are interesting parallels here. Am about to add link to an Indian blog...
Hail Annie Paul, I am hearing rumblings that our Minister of National Security Dwight 'Dark as Night' Nelson was recently denied entry (turned back at an Airport in Florida) to the US. It is rumored that he went to do a follow up visit for his medical condition. I got this 'news' from persons supposedly in the know. Of course, I have not been able to independently confirm.
If this is true it may be an indication of things to come (because of non-extradition of President Coke).
Peace and love, Stero
Wow! that is really newsworthy! which is why it isn't in the news here...heh heh heh
The US has got Ja by the short and curlies for true...let's see how this one plays out.
Look what's happening to Buju too. We should say that the latter's plight is another reason not to extradite Prezi coz he wld receve inhumane treatment in an American prison...
"the short and curlies"? Annie, too funny!
Stero raises the question that is on all our lips, but rarely spoken.
Why hasn't the PM even ordered an investigation of the things that Dudus is being accused of? Wouldn't that be the best way to show that the Ja. gov't doesn't think much of this request for extradition? I mean, we can do kangaroo court too, don't it? I know BG knows what would be found if they actually bothered to do such an investigation. but, given how corrupt our police & politricksters are, he would certainly be able to arrange a disappearance of the evidence. But I guess too many people paying attention now, so he can't do anything at all.
All I know is, to watch the PM and the one Dorothy she not even trying to pretend being aware that their credibility is at stake, is like watching two half-blind people using each other as a guide as they hobble towards the light of oncoming train. I don't see how anything good can come of that meeting.
Yes, of course you're right LB (and Stero). The problem is we don't really have a leg to stand on...iz pure crutch the PM and Dorothy dem groping for.
Some big guys are going to have to take the fall too before this one ends and hopefully it'll have a domino effect and we'll emerge poorer but healthier...
But the shenanigans with Headley in India are equally problematic and reflect badly on the US. i want to post some new stuff but i got work to do y'know?
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