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News from the Caribbean as of
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Dominica party leader concerned about Prison Transfer Agreement
Friday, May 5, 2006
by Malaika Laurent
Caribbean Net News Dominica Correspondent
Email: malaika@caribbeannetnews.com
ROSEAU, Dominica: Dominica’s United Workers Party Leader, Earl Williams, has criticized a Prison Transfer Agreement signed between the government of Dominica and the United Kingdom.
The mutual Prison Transfer Agreement allows prisoners who are incarcerated in either Dominica or the United Kingdom to serve sentences in their home country.
The agreement was signed on May 2 between Dominica’s Attorney General Ian Douglas and English Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland.
However UWP leader Williams said at a United Workers Party news conference on Wednesday in Roseau that there is an imbalance in the agreement signed between the two countries.
“We have two implications of that agreement which I think the Attorney General has not sat down and considered.
“One, did he carry out a survey and get the statistics to find out how many prisoners we have that are British nationals and a corresponding survey in England to find out how many people are in prisons in England that are Dominican nationals to see the imbalance,” Mr. Williams said.
Mr. Williams is also concerned about the implications such agreement will pose to Dominica’s Extradition Treaty.
“The AG, is he getting involved with something that is going to by pass our extradition treaty, because that’s a means of getting someone that is wanted easily to their jurisdiction.?
“The AG has not looked at that implication because if right now the British authorities need somebody while at prison they can just ask them to exchange prisoners and at the same time, by-passing all kinds of extradition treaties to get the person easily into their jurisdiction,” he said.
Mr Douglas said at the signing ceremony that the agreement strengthens the relationship between the two countries.
“As we strive to maintain our relations in the global village, this prison transfer agreement will allow us anther step in that direction,” Douglas said.
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