JLP says it's satisfied

Cabinet Having emerged from the Manatt-Dudus commission of enquiry relatively unscathed, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) yesterday expressed satisfaction with the findings of the commissioners.

In a release minutes after the commission's report was tabled in Parliament, JLP Chairman Mike Henry said the party had taken note of the report of the commissioners who enquired into the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke and the engagement of the American law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

"The JLP is satisfied that the commissioners have considered the main issues that were put before them and made findings and recommendations in respect of the issues," Henry said.

"The party considers that the issue of paramount importance that has been highlighted in this report is the fact that the procedures on which the extradition request was based constituted a violation of both the law and Constitution of Jamaica," Henry added.

inappropriate actions

He noted the commission's finding that the action of Prime Minister Bruce Golding was inappropriate and that he should have distanced himself from the issue.

But Henry argued that: "The prime minister in a nationwide broadcast on May 17, 2010, acknowledged that it was inappropriate for the party to have become involved in the matter and especially to have engaged the services of (Manatt). The prime minister also tendered his apology at that time."

According to Henry, the commissioners made a number of recommendations to which the Government must now give serious consideration.

"Indeed, consistent with the recommendations, the Government has today tabled in Parliament an amendment to the Interception of Communications Act. This will enable the security forces to lawfully share with our international partners information gathered through intercepted communications that can be used in the investigation and prosecution of criminal wrongdoers," Henry noted.