St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas has joined the debate in the ongoing controversy surrounding the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

Two days after Prime Minister Bruce Golding said the attorney general would sign an order for the matter to go to the court, Douglas said it is the right thing to do.

"Let the court decision be your guide. Let the judicial system take over the matter, and once the court says 'Yes, he has a charge to answer', then he should be allowed to answer that charge," said Douglas, in commenting on the case yesterday.

There is now an arrest warrant issued by the court to begin extradition proceedings against Coke, who is a major supporter of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.

United States (US) law-enforcement authorities had requested Coke's extradition since August last year, saying that he had been under surveillance since 1994.

They said so far nine co-conspirators have given information on Coke's alleged involvement in drug- and gun-trafficking.

The Jamaica Government had in the past defended its decision not to extradite Coke, stating that it would not act hastily and violate the extradition treaty between the two countries.

But in his radio and television broadcast on Monday night, Prime Minister Golding, who asked for forgiveness over the entire matter, said the matter would be sent to the court.

He also revealed that he had offered to resign, but noted that following a series of consultations he decided to stay put.

While stating that it was for the people of Jamaica to decide on Golding's fate, Douglas told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the situation reminded him of a similar request made by the US government back in the 1990s for the extradition of convicted criminal Charles 'Little Nut' Miller.

Back to crime life

He pointed out that Miller, who had earlier been freed by the US after agreeing to be part of their Witness Protection Programme, had returned to St Kitts and Nevis and got back into a life of crime.

"Once it was clear that he had started his criminal activity in St Kitts again and the Americans re-quested his extradition, I allowed the court system to have its way," Dr Douglas told CMC.

"Once the court system determined that he should go to the United States to answer charges and he had exhausted his own efforts on the ground, he went," Douglas said.

"We don't hesitate on those things at all and so our own record can't in anyway support that there is official support of criminal activity at that level in my country," he told CMC.