Will Khalid El Turk be extradited to the U.S.?

Khalid El Turk

Lebanese businessman Khalid El Turk appeared once again before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith this morning. His trial is to determine whether or not El Turk is to be extradited to the United States where he faces charges relating to pseudoephedrine, which is a controlled drug in the U.S.  El Turk is accused of conspiring and importing the drug to the United States. His attorneys, Senior Counselors Edwin Flowers and Anthony Sylvester, made submissions in court arguing that he cannot be extradited because there is no offence in Belize on the importation of the controlled drug. According to Flowers, under article one of the extradition treaty, the offences are punishable by up to more than one year imprisonment but the drug is not classified as a controlled drug in this country, so El Turk cannot be extradited for that offence. Also argued by El Turk’s attorneys was that there is insufficient evidence against their client. Senior Crown Counselor Magali Perdomo and Liliana Swift represented the Solicitor General’s Office presenting the case for El Turk’s extradition. The matter was adjourned until April twenty-second, 2013. El Turk’s name surfaced in a bench warrant which was on a table when businessman, Abdul Aziz Mohammed Dib was murdered back in October twenty-third, 2012 at his restaurant.