The Jamaica government remains tightlipped about diplomatic cables that have revealed an alleged alliance between don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke and Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie who tried to dissuade US officials from seeking the extradition of the wanted man. The documents also show Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s wife claiming that opposition operatives were using the extradition request to get to her husband and his administration.
McKenzie has so far denied the allegations and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration has remained silent on the release of documents by the whistleblower site WikiLeaks and published by the UK Guardian.
According to the cables, Mayor McKenzie told US Embassy officials in September 2009 that, there could be “severe repercussions” and “collateral damage” if Coke was arrested for extradition to stand trial on narcotics and firearm charges in the US, and that this would “risk destroying everything the Government was trying to do on the economy and crime.”
McKenzie recently admitted his administration had worked with Coke to help reduce inner city violence in Jamaica.
