Three of four accused of horrific crimes in Martinique successfully transferred
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Contact: Adhara King
Monday, 10 November 2008 – Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Senator the Honourable Guy Mayers and Commissioner of Police Ausbert Regis have sent out a stern warning to locals, who commit crimes abroad, that Saint Lucia will not be used as a safe haven.
Their sentiments were expressed following the smooth transfer of three Saint Lucia men accused of committing a string of crimes in Martinique. The men— Roger Hilaire, Roger Avril, and Danny Joseph—are three out of the four accused of crimes including rape and murder in the French dependent territory.
The fourth man escaped custody, but was recently recaptured by Saint Lucian police, and is awaiting the same fate.
“They went through a process where the warrants were in fact endorsed by local magistrates and a fifteen-day period was allowed to facilitate appeals. That fifteen-day period has expired, and so we got the necessary documents to have them surrendered to the French authorities. They were transferred by means of the necessary paperwork,” said Police Commissioner Ausbert Regis.
The absence of an Extradition Treaty between Saint Lucia and Martinique was of grave concern to French authorities; however, the Saint Lucian government was able to use existing legislation to accomplish the transfer.
Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, the Honourable Guy Mayers expressed satisfaction with the process.
“We were able to use the Backing of Warrant Act, which had been passed in the House of Assembly since 2004 but had not yet been enacted. But the Attorney General's office did the necessary paperwork and publication of the Act in the Gazette and we were then able to use that act to apprehend those individuals based on the warrants that had been issued by the French Authorities,” said Minister Mayers.
The Backing of Warrant Act allows Saint Lucian authorities to endorse warrants issued by other countries for suspects who flee to the island. |
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