CCJ to hear Tasker as fight against extradition continues

In another two months, former Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) executive Alex Tasker will appear before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as he continues to fight his extradition to the United States on money laundering and conspiracy to launder charges.

The Trinidad-based CCJ has set October 16 to hear a request submitted by his lawyers earlier this month.

It will be Tasker’s second attempt before Barbados’ final appeal court which on July 31 rejected his application for special leave to challenge the September 2021 order of Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes that he be surrendered to US authorities.

The panel of judges headed by CCJ president Adrian Saunders had ruled that the former senior vice president at ICBL did not meet the threshold requirements to succeed on an application for special leave and, as such, the application was dismissed, paving the way for Tasker’s extradition.

Tasker was taken into police custody the next morning, but was released during the night after his lawyers made an “urgent request” to the CCJ “to hear further interventions”.

When Barbados TODAY submitted a written request to the CCJ for an update on that request, its Registry responded that “the Court has scheduled Monday, 16 October 2023 to hear the parties in the Tasker matter”.

It also disclosed that the tribunal had ordered the applicant and the respondent to file submissions by specific deadlines prior to the hearing.

“After receiving Mr Tasker’s latest Notice of Application, the Court issued an order on Monday, 7 August, the gist of which requires the parties to file written submissions on various dates between 22 August and 12 September regarding that application,” it said.

Tasker is represented by attorneys-at-law Douglas Mendes SC, Andrew Pilgrim KC, and Clay Hackett.

US prosecutors have alleged that between August 2015 and April 2016, Tasker conspired with others to launder money in the US from outside the country in violation of US law.

His case is linked to the money laundering scandal involving former Minister of Industry and International Business Donville Inniss. The ex-parliamentarian returned to Barbados in March this year after serving a two-year prison sentence in the US for conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, related to his laundering of US$36 000 which prosecutors said he received in bribes to award ICBL government contracts.

(EJ)