There are more signs that the Jamaican Government is providing economic assistance to Incomparable Limited, a company in which alleged drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus Coke’ is a shareholder. The company has a lease agreement for a Urban Development Company (UDC) quarry in St Catherine.
Details of the lease agreement were unavailable at press time. But chairman Wayne Chen promised to check and provide details to the Sunday Herald. Chen also said no contracts were awarded to the company under his watch.
“No contracts have been awarded by the UDC to Incomparable Limited since I became chairman. However, I should note that Incomparable Limited holds a lease for a quarry in St. Catherine on lands owned by the UDC that was awarded before I joined the board,” Chen said in response to questions from the Sunday Herald.
The lease agreement is in addition to over $100 million in contracts to the company by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government since taking over local and central governments between 2002 and 2007.
There have been suggestions over the past weeks that the revocation of Chen’s US visa by the US authorities could perhaps be linked to contracts awarded to Incomparable Limited by the state agency, chaired by Chen.
Chen in response to this suggestion stated, “I have no information to suggest any such connection.”
Party leader Prime Minister Bruce Golding has defended his government’s recalcitrance in extraditing Coke to the US on the grounds that part of the evidence was gathered illegally.
Americans frustrated
Until recently, the United States was pleased with the cooperation it was getting from Jamaica over the extradition of persons accused of serious crimes, reported the Economist. In a recently published article the Economist pointed out that “the Jamaican authorities were responding promptly to requests and, last year, sent 15 suspects to the United States.
But the case of Christopher “Dudus” Coke seems to be different.”
According to the article, “The American authorities have become frustrated at what they see as foot-dragging by Jamaica’s government over their request last August for the extradition of a man they say is the leader of an “international criminal organisation.”
A “Gang Threat Assessment Survey” conducted by the Jamaican government last year, reckoned there were 268 criminal groups in Jamaica, earning cash from extortion, selling cannabis, transporting cocaine, contract killings, prostitution and international cybercrime. Many of them are merely small-time thugs.
But the United States Justice Department has put Coke on its “world’s most dangerous” list, accusing him of directing drug deals as far away as New York.
Home patch
According the Economist article, Coke’s home patch is Tivoli Gardens, a tough inner-city garrison close to the waterfront. It is the core of the Kingston Western parliamentary seat, held since 2005 by the prime minister, Bruce Golding, and for 43 years before that by Eddie Seaga, his predecessor as leader of the JLP.
Two of Coke’s brothers and a sister have been shot dead over the years, either by gangland killers or in shoot-outs with police. His father, Lester Coke, was a leader of the infamous Shower Posse — the gang, which, according to the American indictment, his son now runs. It was widely blamed in the 1980s for more than 1,000 murders in Jamaica and America.
Coke senior died in a mysterious fire in his prison cell in 1992, while awaiting extradition to America on drugs and murder charges. It was the day of the funeral for another son, Mark, who had been shot dead three weeks earlier. Mr. Seaga, then opposition leader, marched alongside party colleagues in the funeral cortège describing the deceased as a protector, the Economist article stated.
Only a fool blurts out everthing he knows. The
U S State Department personnel are no fools. We the non Americans will watch and wait as the cards from the pack are played. Keep up the Visa Revocation Activity (VRA) America and God Bless The United States Of America, not perfect but I like how you get some things done in a non violent way.
Oh what a tangled web the Jamaica government continue to weave. I am hoping for an international court , where politicians will be tried for embezzlement of funds when contracts of these magnitude are given to party supporters. Mr Golding I am a Jamaica living in the US and I can tell there is a grat amount of cynicism towards your administration and other who have led Jmaica into the social and economic quagmire. I really do think you and your administration should do the honourable thing and resign. ‘YOU HAVE LOST THE MORAL AUTHORITY GOVERN.’ COOPERATE WITH THE us , after all you should share the same the same mutual interest reduce crime and drug trafficking so that the people cvan live in peace. Jamaican living overseas are livid. ‘Many of us fear that because of you Jamaica can be labeled arogue state by the international committe. Iam sure you and the JLP party remember the Manley era during the cold war. After all you all were responsible for destabilizing the Jamaican economy.
Incomparable was award a contract to rehabilitate the KPH back in 2004/2005.
One can check the registry of companies to see if the are incorporated.
Danwill and Black Brothers all had large government contract, that’s the way the politics work in Jamaica.
Bruce sell out jamaica to tivoli, bruce sell his soul to tivoli. Bruce cannot navigate his way out of the dilemna that he and his cabinet members (who are seen on youtube on stage with dudus bigging up gangsters) have put jamaica in today. The people must rise up and dont put jamaica on hold for the next 2 years. We want the elections now, we cannot wait, we cannot delay as this corrupt government is destroying jamaica. Elections now Bruce must go!! And that is the preferred scenario, if not we take him out like how the Italians took out Benito Mussolini. Yes he reminds me of the worlds most foolhardy dictator.
Chen sounds very clear and co-operative. I truly wonder if the family’s visa issues had not come up if this would have been the case.
Certain wives don’t shop in the local village and malls.
The report here today gives the general public hope that we can call bodies like UDC and the heads move quickly and with alacrity to address the concerns of the commoners.
Hope?
Did Incomparable Limited received any contract from the PNP Administration?
Is Incomparable limited listed on Contrator General Approve contractor?
Where these contract approve properly?
These questions should have been answered in the story above .