Dear Editor,
Last year a UK resident, Mr Gary McKinnon, who is wanted by the United States government for hacking into 97 computers belonging to NASA, the US Department of Defense and branches of its military, lost his extradition case in a highly publicized and emotional court battle.
Lawyers for McKinnon used every possible argument in his defence to ensure that he did not face extradition which could see him spending over 60 years in prison.
The most plausible of the arguments was the one which highlighted that McKinnon suffered from Aspergers syndrome, which is a mild form of autism. However, even that did not move the court which ruled that he be extradited.
This case resulted in a deep divide among Britons. Various contested views were triumphantly sounded throughout the media and different corners of British society regarding the British government’s ability to protect its citizens from facing what many regard as tough extradition legislation that benefits the Americans.
Great Britain is arguably the closest American ally in the world today, and this particular case was a severe test of their diplomatic relations.
One must not forget that regardless of the arguments presented by McKinnon and his team in his defence, he committed serious crimes against the US and unfortunately will have to deal with the consequences of his actions.
His government honoured an extradition treaty signed with the US and have decided to hand him over to be tried accordingly for the crimes he committed.
The US has long expressed serious interest in several Guyanese wanted in connection with a number of crimes committed in the United States of America. So far not one of these persons has ever been extradited to the US from Guyana.
The inconsistencies in Guyana’s laws had apparently made it extremely difficult for Guyana to cooperate with the US and hand over the wanted subjects to be tried.
However, acting upon intelligence and with cooperation from other countries, the US was able to make contact with, and swiftly escort, some of the wanted Guyanese who dared to venture outside Guyana, to American soil to face justice. We all know some of the many intriguing cases of the recent past. Last year, however, an amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Act was passed, which might make the extradition of Guyanese to the US easier.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Francois
