Kidnapping of US war veteran

A TRUCK DRIVER who was charged with kidnapping United States war veteran Balram “Balo” Maharaj yesterday consented within minutes to voluntarily go to the US to face trial for taking Maharaj hostage.

Russell Joseph, also called “Saucy,” 33, appeared before Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death, and hostage taking resulting in death.

Joseph, of Grand Curacaye, Lower Santa Cruz, was charged in March with kidnapping Maharaj. He was remanded to the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca.

When he turned up in court yesterday, Sgt Wendell Williams, of the local Interpol Branch, served him with a copy of the provisional warrant for his arrest on the US charges.

Mc Nicolls read the charges to him and asked him if he was contesting it or consenting to the extradition. “I have a choice?” Joseph asked.

Joseph went into the witness box and said he was aware that the US requested his extradition to be tried for certain offences. “I am going voluntarily. Nobody forced me. I know I have to be sent to America to be tried,” the wanted man added.

Mc Nicolls then issued the order for Joseph to be extradited to the United States to be tried.

But he has 15 days in which to challenge the magistrate’s order. Failure to challenge the order will result in US Marshals coming to Trinidad to take him to the US.

Joseph is one of eight persons wanted by the US for the kidnapping of Maharaj.

Five others were served with provisional warrants last Thursday — David Suchit, Zion Clarke, Private Ricardo De Four, Sgt Leon Nurse, and Kevon Demerieux.

Their cases were adjourned to May 5. The US Grand Jury indicted the eight last Thursday in Washington DC.

Maharaj, 62, of Mount Vernon, New York, was kidnapped outside the Samaan Tree Bar, Aranjuez, on April 5, 2005, and a $3 million ransom demanded.

His remains were found in two barrels inside the Santa Cruz forest on January 9 this year.

To date, 11 persons including three soldiers have been charged with Maharaj’s murder.

According to the Grand Jury indictment, Joseph was recruited two weeks prior to Maharaj’s kidnapping to drive the get away vehicle.

On the day of the kidnapping, Joseph met with the co-conspirators at Mellow Moods Bar to make final preparations.

Joseph, according to the Grand Jury indictment, changed number plates on the vehicle he drove.

He drove the others to the Samaan Tree Bar and watched as Maharaj was snatched. He drove Maharaj to Grand Curacaye Road where the US citizen was handed over to the others.

It is also alleged that Joseph went to the hideout where Maharaj, a Trinidadian, was kept and brought food for his co-conspirators.

During the period in captivity, Maharaj became ill and died at the hands of his abductors.

The Grand Jury indictment claimed that Joseph provided the cutlass which was used to dismember Maharaj’s body.

It is alleged that he was present when Maharaj’s body parts were put in two containers.