AMERICA CONTINUES TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES DELAYING THE EXTRADITION OF MAJOR CRIMINALS, SOMETIMES FOR YEARS, AND DOMINICA TOPS THE LIST ON HOMICIDE SUSPECTS

Jonathan Lehrer

We all know the story of the former head of Antigua's Financial Services Authority,LEROY KING, wanted in the United States for his major role in protecting ALLEN STANFORD's billion dollar Ponzi scheme. It was close to a decade before that country's GASTON BROWNE-dominated corrupt judiciary got around to approving his extradition to America. The failure of Caribbean governments to facilitate the prompt removal of major wanted fugitives to the United States, using dilatory tactics in local court systems, is one of the region's Dirty Little Secrets. We have covered specific such cases here on this blog for more than fifteen years.

Leroy King & Allen Stanford

This nasty problem for American law enforcement has been in the news of late, regarding the U.S. efforts to extradite a wealthy American expat, JONATHAN LEHRER, alleged to have orchestrated the murders of two Canadians also living in Dominica. The focus on this high profile case reminds us that there are several Dominican nationals, all wanted in the United States on homicide charges, and others for serious financial crimes, all of whom ROOSEVELT SKERRIT's Dominica has failed to allow to be extradited. By changing assigned judges, having new lawyers assigned to represent the defendants, delaying court proceedings and other dodgy legal tactics, Dominica has protected a number of its own nationals from facing American justice.

Our sources have asserted that the principal reason Dominica is dragging its heels on all extradition proceedings is due to the express orders of advisors in the local Chinese Embassy, who have a prominent role in the activities of the government, which dominates the politically-sensitive judiciary there. The word is definitely out to delay all such legal proceedings indefinitely, to frustrate American efforts to bring major criminals to justice.

There is of course, a hidden agenda here, as professional criminals living in Dominica may have significant first-hand knowledge of official corruption within Roosevelt's Skerrit's government and the Labour Party, which they could use to reduce their sentences after conviction in an American courtroom. Whatever the principal reason, the delays in meting out justice in the U.S. to Dominica's criminals is not sitting well with American law enforcement agencies and our Department of State, which under the Trump Administration means that there will be pushback, in one form or another. Being a senior member of Skerrit's Cabinet these days, I would be hiring an experienced American criminal defense lawyer; hoping for the best but planning for the worst.