His last high profile client was Glenn Godfrey and Elson Kaseke put on quite the show at the DFC Commission of Inquiry. Well now Kaseke has another national stage to make a case on. This time, he's working to get the Seawell brothers free. As we've reported, the Seawell's, Mark, Gary and Duane face extradition to the United States. The United States has issued a warrant for their arrest on drug trafficking charges. But now Elson Kaseke says that when U.S. authorities snatched up Dwayne Seawell in Jamaica and ferreted him out to Miami, they made a costly misstep and one that he says makes it so that the brothers cannot now be legally extradited from Belize. So Kaseke has put this case to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Eamon Courtenay in a six page letter, urging the Minister
to stop the extradition proceedings. Today he told us why there cannot be a legal extradition.
Elson Kaseke, Attorney for Seawell Brothers
"Himself wrote the letter requesting the safe of Duane Seawell from Jamaica through U.S. territory to Belize in order for him to stand extradition proceedings in Belize. It is because of the change in circumstances whereby Duane Seawell found himself in Jamaica and the U.S. authorities went in and got him from that territory, that has changed the whole scenario.
Under those circumstances, because the U.S. is under this treaty obligation, there is a clause pointing right on Belize to refuse to extradite the Seawell. Belize is under no obligation to surrender the other two Seawell brothers, Mark and Gary.
What are treaties made of if there are made to be broken and the people who are breaking the treaties come along and say, 'I submitted the request, give me this person,' in contravention of the very treaty which is supposed to be the foundation on which the person is extradited?
I think from my professional expertise, this is something that needs to done otherwise we are going to see Belizean citizens going and being seized ad infinitum and nothing being done about it. The correct thing here is to ensure that treaty obligations are observed."
If Minister Courtenay does decide to proceed with the extradition, Kaseke will seek judicial review of his decision. Kaseke makes it clear that the legal proceedings could drag on for years. Of course, what we expect to be the impatience of the United States on this case is aggravated by its last failed extradition attempt of the Brown brothers. It's an instructive reference because in that case Kaseke was on the other side of the litigants' table where he appeared unsuccessfully for government.
