Ish and Steve’s last hope – the Privy Council

The two businessmen are wanted in the United States and are currently facing extradition proceedings.

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, in a post Cabinet press conference yesterday, announced that he would not be interfering in the proceedings which have reached the very last stage.

On May 27, just one day after he was sworn in as the nation’s youngest AG at 36 years old, the businessmen wrote to him seeking reprieve from their extradition to the US.

They argued that under Section 16 of the Extradition Act, the final decision on the extradition vested in the AG who had the discretion to refuse the extradition request, if he thought it was “unjust and oppressive.”

In the letter written to the AG, the businessmen, through attorney Nyree Alfonso, said it was “unjust and oppressive” because they were already being prosecuted in Trinidad and Tobago on similar matters.

In their appeal before the Judicial Committee, they filed submissions on May 17 and lawyers for the State responded on May 25.

They are currently awaiting a trial date on the matter.

The appellants petitioned directly to the Privy Council under Section 109(3) of the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution.

Galbaransingh and Ferguson are wanted in the US on charges of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, money laundering and bid-rigging, arising from the award of contracts in the Piarco Airport development project.

On May 4, 2006, a Florida State Grand Jury returned an indictment against the appellants and six others.

They were indicted on charges relating to corrupt practices in two of the construction packages in the project.