Bmda: No extradition for Hall, he's done his time

Jamaican authorities have arrested Andrew Hall – the man accused of drug smuggling in Bermuda and extradition proceedings are set to start next week.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Kulandra Ratneser said Hall is due in a Jamaican court on Tuesday where a Magistrate will make a decision on whether to start the process.
Mr. Ratneser said he would urge Jamaican prosecutors to oppose bail for Hall.

An arrest warrant had been issued earlier this month by Bermuda's Chief Justice Richard Ground.

Mr. Ratneser said extradition was not a foregone conclusion. Even if the Crown wins the court case the Jamaican government can over-rule that decision and he could not estimate when Hall might be back in Bermuda.

The Jamaican walked free on charges of importing $1.8 million in January when the Supreme Court ruled Hall's constitutional rights had been breached because he had been held without trial for nearly three years. That decision was overturned on appeal last month.

Hall, 39, who would have faced between 14 and 18 years in jail if found guilty, fled Bermuda in a private jet on a temporary passport within hours of being released and is believed to now be in Jamaica.

He was arrested in March, 2001 with two other Jamaicans, Barris Dawkins – also known as Rudolph Everton Pusey – and Teartia Smith.

In the first case, the Bermudan government is at fault for not trying Hall speedily. Though he is a drug thug, the fact remains that even a drug thug should not be subject to prison without a trial. The Guantanamo thugs are different kettle of fish altogether. Why should Jamaica support Bermuda in its unlawful imprisonment of a Jamaican citizen?