PRESLEY Bingham, the St James chicken farmer who was ordered extradited to the United States in December 2005 to face drug trafficking charges, was yesterday freed by the Court of Appeal.

The court ruled that the government erred when it failed to extradite the St James resident within the specified 60-day period.

Bingham was ordered extradited on December 2005 when he appeared in the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate’s Court before RM Martin Gayle.

However, it was not clear yesterday why agents of the state failed to have Bingham extradited, and whether or not US Marshals had made arrangements to have him return to the US soon after the extradition order was issued.

Last October, Bingham’s attorneys took the matter to the Supreme Court’s Full Court, claiming that their client should be released from custody as the government did not give sufficient reasons for delaying his extradition. The Full Court, however, upheld the 2005 extradition order.

The defence, however, appealed the Full Court’s ruling, and yesterday the Appeal Court ruled that Bingham be freed.

A written judgement on the Court of Appeal ruling is expected next term when the Circuit reopens.

US prosecutors had alleged that Bingham, who was taken into police custody on May 25, conspired with others to import cocaine and ganja into that country.