AG Says U.S. Made Extradition Request…Attorneys Say No

But last week, contrary to what Smith says, in an exclusive interview with News Five, Attorney General Wilfred Elrington acknowledged that there is indeed a request being made by U.S. authorities for the extradition of Leach and Knowles.  That petition found its way to Elrington’s desk through the Solicitor General’s Office where a team of crown counsels assured him that the request was certainly legitimate.  For context, we revisit that interview with Elrington.

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, Attorney General [File: September 17^th, 2014]

“When the request for extradition is made, once the crown counsels in the Solicitor General’s Office are satisfied that it’s a proper request and I am requested to sign that and I did that and so, as far as I am aware now the next step would be for the people at the Solicitor General’s Office, once they obtain the necessary information from the United States would then be able to proceed with that application for extradition.  I think an initial application was made to the magistrates court might have been Monday or Tuesday and the procedures will then follow in the usual course.”

Isani Cayetano

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington

“For clarity sake, in interviewing Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith on Monday, with regards to the arrest of his clients on Friday, as they were attempting to leave the Phillip Goldson International Airport, if I’m not mistaken he said that they had followed all the necessary procedures for them to get the clearances for these gentlemen to leave the country.  Unfortunately, they had on them a little above the prescribed limit in terms of currency.  To your knowledge was your ministry or anyone from within your ministry approached with regards to the necessary clearance that Mr. Smith spoke about?”

Wilfred Elrington

“No because it is not necessary for people leaving the country under normal circumstances to require any clearances.  My understanding is that these two persons were supposed to have been leaving the country on a special aircraft that was scheduled to arrive in the country to pick them up and that they had been seeking clearances for the arrival of the aircraft.  That would have been normal, if you bring in an aircraft you have to get clearance from the civil aviation authority.  That is the extent to which any clearance would have been required, not for them to leave.  There would have been no need for a clearance for that.  But anybody who is leaving and who is carrying out currency, so long as it’s above a certain amount are require by our laws to declare that and if they don’t declare that that’s a criminal offence.”

So tonight, Leach and Knowles remain at the Hattieville Prison.