State gets nod to go after Coke's assets

The Jamaican government has been given the green light to go after millions of dollars in assets of convicted drug kingpin, Christopher "Dudus" Coke.

 A Supreme Court judge granted a request for default judgment against the former Tivoli Gardens strongman during a hearing on Wednesday.

 Coke, who is now serving more than 23 years in a US prison, did not put up a defense this morning, hence the default judgment.

Attorney-at-Law Chukwuemeka Cameron, who represented Coke's late mother, Patsy Halliburton and his girlfriend Stephanie Gayle at the hearing, said the authorities will now be going go after his assets.

Concerning his girlfriend and late mother – the government decided to withdraw the claims against them.

The Asset Recovery Agency had filed a claim against Gayle and Haliburton, arguing that the women were sheltering hundreds of millions of dollars in crime proceeds, earned by Coke.

They were seeking to seize several properties, worth more than US$150 million in Gayle's name.

However, according to Cameron, the State decided to withdraw its action, because it could not prove its case of money laundering, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The parties are expected to return to court, as it relates to the amount of damages to which the government is liable, after assets belonging to Gayle and Halliburton were seized.

Meanwhile, the state has withdrawn its claim against well-known Kingston businessman, Justin Ogilvie, a close associate of Coke.

The State also withdrew its action against Ogilvie's wife and two of his companies, including the controversial Incomparable Enterprises.

The authorities had alleged, that Coke used his friend's company, to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds.

 They argued, that Incomparable Enterprises was sheltering more than one hundred million dollars, owned by "Dudus" Coke.

But, during the hearing, the government acknowledged, that it would have difficulty proving a case of money laundering against Ogilvie and his companies.

There were claims, that Incomparable Enterprises, a construction company, was owned by Coke and had received hundred of millions of dollars in government awarded contracts.