KINGSTON, Jamaica – Bruce Golding testified in the Tivoli Enquiry Monday that he knew Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, and that they spoke on a number of occasions prior to the issuing of an extradition request, from the United States, for Coke in August 2009.

Questioned by Garth McBean, QC, attorney for the commission, Golding said he last spoke to Coke in December 2007. He said he had stopped talking to Coke because the security forces had informed him that men from the Stone Crusher gang were seeking refuge in Tivoli Gardens.

Golding said he asked Coke if the men were in fact there and he said no.

However, Golding said that in January 2008, the police conducted operations in the area and held some members of the gang, but the main person who they wanted, eluded them although he had been in the area prior to the operation.

Golding said: “I cut off all communication with him (Coke) and stopped supporting his community programmes.”

On another note, Golding said that he was informed by Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Stewart Saunders, that no mortars were used in Tivoli Gardens as reported to him by residents there.

He said that the chief of defence staff told him that the devices used were not incendiary devices as “they had more barks than bites; they had the effect of mortars but they were used for more psychological effect”.

McBean asked Golding if during his tour of the area he saw buildings destroyed and he said yes, he noticed a building in the Java area was destroyed, but couldn’t say what caused the destruction.

Paul Henry