Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell came under new pressure yesterday to extradite Samuel 'Ninety' Knowles to the United States to face drugs charges.
Former US ambassador ļ¾ Richard Blankenship said the Bahamas must live up to its treaty obligations if it is to be taken seriously as a nation.
He added: "It is time for some people to face justice. Justice delayed is justice denied."
His call for immediate action from Mr Mitchell came amid suggestions locally that the government is trying to delay making a decision on Knowles until after the general election.
Knowles is known to have a following in some over-the-hill areas and his extradition could cost the government votes, according to some political observers.
But, having exhausted the appeals process, with the Privy Council rejecting his final bid for freedom, Knowles' fate is now in the hands of Mr Mitchell, who has to sign the extradition order.
Now the minister is under growing pressure to act following approaches to top US officials in Washington: It is understood that another former US ambassador to the Bahamas, Arthur Schechter, is adding his weight to the extradition call.
Yesterday, Mr Blankenship told The Tribune from his Florida home: "The Bahamas has its treaty obligations, and it should honour those obligations on a timely basis.
"Mr Knowles has now exhausted the appeals process and he should be extradited in accordance with our regional treaty."
He said he could see no reason why the government should not act immediately, adding: "The US expects the Bahamas' to live up to its word. We have no reason to expect anything less."
Mr Blankenship, who says cocaine seizures reached a record high during his two-year tenure as ambassador, wants a quick end to a process which began in his predecessor's time in Nassau.
Mr Schechter, who left the Bahamas in 2000 after George W Bush's presidential victory, was quietly proud that Knowles' arrest came during his tenure as ambassador and is said to be eager for extradition to take place.
Knowles, who is held at Fox Hill Prison, hired top legal experts from Britain in his effort to avoid extradition. But his efforts were to no avail.
Now three weeks have elapsed since the Privy Council ruling and there is still no word from the government on the progress of his extradition order.
Mr Mitchell was unavailable – _ for comment yesterday.
But his FNM counterpart, shadow foreign minister Mr Brent Symonette, said he doesn't think the PLP can wait till the 2007 election for extradition.
He said he hopes the government is not stalling because "there would probably be an early election if pressures – from the United States comes on the Christie government to extradite Mr Knowles, provided all the legal ramifications have been dealt with."
The long extradition process stretches back almost to the turn of the century. The US government first sought Knowles' transfer in 2000.
Mr Symonette said he was informed that, whatever legal recourse Mr Knowles had was relinquished by the recent Privy Council ruling. But he said there was probably "taxing" legal paperwork to be completed. "There was some reference made to a pending proceeding going on for habeas corpus in the Bahamas," he said.
"However, I would hope that the PLP would soon release Mr Knowles (into custody) in order to maintain good relations with the United States."
Senator Carl Bethel said allegations that the PLP would release Mr Knowles post-election as a voting strategy is not an appropriate exercise of a government officially responsible for making such a decision. "The grounds on which the Foreign Affairs Minister exercises power are set out in the Extradition Act. I can't see how a political strategic decision can be made in a matter like this." He said he doesn't give any credence to those PLP sources, and hopes that these "stalling" claims do not reflect Mr Mitchell's point of view.
However, a political source said it was possible the PLP could call an early election for a dual purpose; to catch the FNM off-guard before it gets into its stride, and to avoid having to make a decision on the Knowles affair before the public goes to the polls.
Source: The Tribune
