Guyanese to face extradition hearing

A GUYANESE national will face an extradition hearing from March 17 after the Court of Appeal dismissed an application for extension of time made by the non-national’s lawyer, Senior Counsel Desmond Allum.

The extradition hearing in which Guyanese Leon Paul Williams is charged with trafficking cocaine, will be heard before Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls at the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrate’s Court. The foreign extradition warrant charged Williams with drug trafficking offences which allegedly occurred in Washington DC between the years 1993 and 1997. Interpol officer, Sgt Wendell Williams then laid the corresponding domestic charges against him.

Williams was arrested on November 10, 2000, and the matter was called before Deputy Chief Magistrate Deborah Thomas-Felix. However, hearing was discontinued because the State wanted to introduce certain documents into evidence. Williams was re-arrested on May 3, 2001, and the matter called before the Chief Magistrate during which time Allum said the re-arrest was illegal. On July 13, 2002, a constitutional motion was filed but was dismissed by Justice Mira Deane-Armourer on that same day. 

Allum then served notice of appeal on July 22, 2002. The appeal matter came up on Monday at the Court of Appeal before Justices of Appeal Margot Warner, Rolston Nelson and Stanley John.   David West, head of the Central Authority Department of the Attorney General’s office, and Senior State attorney Karlene Seenath asked the court to dismiss the appeal for want of prosecution because since July 22, 2002, the defence did nothing to prosecute the Appeal with dispatch. The three judges unanimously agreed that the affidavit in support of an extension of time showed no good and substantial reasons and subsequently dismissed the appeal.