Phillips was pushing Gov't to act - US cable

Opposition Member of Parliament Dr Peter Phillips, who emerged with high marks in 2009 for his attempts to keep the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke on the front burner, has reportedly admitted he was trying to push the Government into action.

The United States Embassy in Kingston has claimed that Phillips engineered the December 8, 2009 clash with Prime Minister Bruce Golding in the House of Representatives to force the administration to act.

The embassy has also claimed that Phillips reported to one its officials that senior members of the Golding government had expressed their dissatisfaction to him about how the administration was handling the request.

According to a confidential embassy cable dated December 10, 2009 and acquired by The Gleaner through WikiLeaks, Phillips tabled the initial questions in Parliament because he was convinced he had to act as the Golding administration did not understand the seriousness with which the US government was treating the extradition request.

"Phillips alleged that the GOJ (Government of Jamaica) is 'determined to take the side of the Shower Posse (the criminal organisation with which Coke is associated) rather than that of the people of Jamaica', and that he's not aware of any 'timetable for action' on the part of the Golding administration," the cable claimed.

According to the cable, Phillips was adamant that two government ministers and a government senator met with Coke between September 21 and 24, 2009.

"Phillips maintained to embassy officials his belief that the PM remains unconvinced of the seriousness the USG (United States government) attaches to the Coke case, and that the PM will not give way on the extradition request without pressure from two sources: the USG and Jamaican public opinion."

Reaching out to friends

The embassy also claimed Phillips indicated that his sources were hinting that the Golding administration was reaching out to its friends in the US Congress and the US government through back channels to make a case to the White House.

"Phillips also told embassy officials that many key JLP stalwarts - (names deleted) - have expressed to him their dissatisfaction with the Golding administration's handling of the Coke extradition request, but that they're unlikely to break with Golding over the issue, nor would he expect any JLP MPs to cross the aisle over the issue," the cable claimed.

The former national security minister was the opposition point man on the extradition issue and the subsequent engagement of the US law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.