(Jamaica Gleaner) – Prime Minister Bruce Golding has bowed to public pressure for the Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke extradition issue to go to court.

Golding has instructed the attorney general Dorothy Lightbourne to seek a declaration from the court as to whether she was right to deny the extradition request.

Government had denied the request claiming that the United States had illegally obtained wiretap evidence that was being used to prosecute Coke.

Speaking on his monthly radio call-in programme Jamaica House Live, Golding said he decided to send the matter to court in the interest of the public.

He says private lawyers are to be retained to take the matter to court.

Golding says he’s ordered the justice minister and attorney general Dorothy Lightbourne to have the court rule on two issues concerning her decision.

This is an about turn from the position that Golding had advanced 29 days ago in Parliament.

At that time, Golding was insistent that the attorney general was right in denying the request by the United States for Coke to be extradited.

He had made it clear that the government would be sticking by its position.

Golding had claimed that the government would not be swayed by concerns that Jamaica’s relationship with the United States could deteriorate because of its handling of the Dudus extradition issue.

Since then the opposition with former national security minister Peter Phillips leading the charge, prominent attorney Lord Anthony Gifford, and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) have insisted that the matter should go to court.

Last night, Golding also used his radio programme to respond to his critics saying their positions were influenced by the fact that Coke is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), as well as his West Kingston constituency.

The critics believe the judiciary should determine whether the evidence against Coke was illegally obtained and not the justice minister.
Dudus is wanted by the US on drugs and firearm charges.