Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has dismissed as “improper” a British Foreign Office request for him to waive the death penalty in the case of murdered British hotelier, Oliver Gobat.
The Times of London newspaper has quoted Anthony as saying that he supports a request from the family of the late Gobat for British officers to support the murder hunt, but not Whitehall’s stipulation that it will only send a squad if St Lucia guarantees that it will not use capital punishment for the killers.
“No government can get into the business of bargaining as to the outcome of a case. The British government sometimes forgets that we have a sharper, cleaner idea of the separation of powers than they do in the United Kingdom and we must abide by the powers bequeathed to us,” the British newspaper quoted Anthony as saying.
“Their preoccupation with hanging is very misplaced. Their own Privy Council makes sure that the death penalty never gets carried out,” Anthony told the publication.
Efforts by the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) to contact Prime Minister Anthony to ensure the accuracy of the quotes, have so far proven futile.
Gobat’s body was found in his Range Rover on Cap Estate, north of here, on April 25, burnt beyond recognition.
“This particular crime was committed with considerable sophistication,” Prime Minister Anthony told the publication.
Gobat’s family members, who have commissioned a private investigation into his death, are also offering a one million dollar (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) reward for for information leading to the arrest of his killer or killers.
Source-CMC
