Extradition: Kashamu applies to register UK court judgments

    
A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West, Buruji Kashamu, has asked an Abuja Federal High Court for leave to register two judgments of courts in the United Kingdom, which cleared him of alleged crimimal offences.

There are insinuations that the United States is seeking Kashamu’s extradition, but the PDP chieftain has denied the reports, insisting on his innocence.

In an exparte motion filed by his lawyer, Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, Kashamu sought to register two decisions entered in his favour by the UK court.

The decisions he wants to register arose in the suits – Governor of HMP Prison, Brixton Vs Government of The United States of America Exparte Buruji Kashamu, and Government of the United States of America Vs Buruji Kashamu, which were delivered on October 6 and 10, 2000, respectively.

The Attorney General of England and Wales was named as the respondent to the motion.

In the October 6, 2000 judgment, District Judge Tim Workman quashed the committal order after finding the proceedings against Kashamu unfair because the US Government concealed vital identification evidence.

District Judge Workman, in the October 10, 2000 judgment, after a full trial, declared that Kashamu had no case to answer.

Kashamu’s lawyer, Izinyon, in the exparte motion, asked the Abuja FHC to grant the applicant an extension of time within which he could register the two judgments.

He also prayed for an order for leave to issue and serve the processes outside the jurisdiction court on the respondent’s office at 20 Victoria Street, London, England, SW1H ONF.

In a statement in support of the application, Kashamu explained that he was “unaware that he needed to register the aforesaid judgments delivered in his favour by the said courts in the United Kingdom in Nigeria and out of negligence did not obtain the services of a legal practitioner to specifically advise him on this issue until he was informed by his counsel, Dr. Alex A. Izinyon, SAN on 10th December, 2013.”

He noted that the period within which he should register the judgments by virtue of the Foreign Judgements Act Cap F35 has expired.

As a result, he stated that he required the leave of the court to register the judgments out of time