FUGITIVE FINANCIAL CRIMINALS WHO ADROITLY RELOCATE TO THE CARIBBEAN CAN OFTEN DELAY EXTRADITION AD INFINITUM

I used to think that the corrupt court system of the Republic of Panama was the worst; one could easily pay there to "lose" a court file, have a case reassigned, or do any one of a number of things if you were a native-born Panamanian who new how to reach out to the judges with bribes, even those at the Supreme Court of Justice, but now I have concluded that the courts located in the former British Territories in the East Caribbean are, without question, the best place to indefinitely delay court proceedings, especially, extradition of a foreign national who has successfully obtained safe harbour in one of these island republics. The East Caribbean courts, which give new meaning to the term "Dilatory,' can, for the right price, delay a proper extradition request indefinitely, if you have a large enough bank account, or sufficient political clout.

Remember LEROY KING, the crooked Antigua. financial regulatory agency head, who reportedly swore as "Blood Oath" at midnight, exchanging fluids, with Allen Stanford, at a darkened airfield? He delayed his extradition for a full ten years before the Department of Justice was able to remove him to the United States, where a Texas Federal judge gave the maximum sentence, and banished him to a Federal Prison medical complex, to live out what is left of his life.

And what about India's Most Wanted Man, MEHUL CHOKSI, still evading extradition after six long years? How does this real-life "Jabba the Hutt" do it? Simple:

(1) Pay off the judiciary, so that assigned judges are frequently changed, supposedly necessitating tike for the new judge to become familiar with the case.
(2) Have your lawyer unavailable for a substantial period of time, due to, for example, trying a lengthy case in another jurisdiction.
(3) The Court fails to hold hearings in the case for months at a time, and when they do, delay ruling for additional months, dragging into years. Perhaps you change the lawyer prosecuting the case in the local Attorney General's office for good measure, meaning still more delays.
(3) Appealing adverse High Court decisions to the East Caribbean Court of Appeal, and then on to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, the Court of Last Resort.
(4) Appeal to the International Court of Human Rights, which further muddies the legal waters.
(5) File bogus Constitutional challenges to the extradition laws themselves.

Years pass in the country where the fugitive was wanted; witnesses die, governments change, the political climate and national mood for justice fades, or any number of things happen domestically, and perhaps a decent plea arrangement is offered; the fugitive might achieve his goal of receiving only a slap on the wrist, due to his efforts. Is all this cynical? As they say, justice delayed is justice denied; ask Mehul Choksi, as he games the system.