ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada: The main man behind an offshore bank incorporated in Grenada, American citizen Richard Henry Hinkle is now sitting in a Costa Rican prison, where he is fighting extradition to the United States to face criminal charges. Cornerstone International Savings and Investment Bank, which was once operated in part from offices at Tribune House in Archibald Avenue Grenada was granted a Class one banking license by the Grenada International Financial Authorities on October 11th 1999 and attracted millions of dollars from investors and speculators who were offered unimaginable interest rates. The case is high profile due the fact that Hinkle, who once preached at a local church and reportedly told his congregation that he was dying of terminal cancer before leaving Grenada for Costa Rica, was kidnapped in Costa Rica causing the authorities there to launch an investigation into his back ground. Quite apart from the criminal drama, also at center stage in this international intrigue is the plight of Mr. Garvey Louison, an accountant who was appointed liquidator of the bank on July 24, 2003 by order of the Supreme Court in Grenada as a result of a petition to wind up the company filed by the law firm of J.A.Seales & Co. While Grenada authorities issued the banking license, and the Grenada bank issued certificates of deposits from its Saint George's offices, it would appear that little funds if any were ever in Grenada based on the number of wire transfers to Costa Rica. The trial shows that an affiliated company Cornerstone S.A. held and utilized the funds through a bank in San Jose, Costa Rica. The facts then brought to light the question as to whether or not Costa Rica's judicial system would recognize and enforce an order of the Grenada Supreme Court. "This is a bit of a difficult scenario", explains attorney at law Jerry Seales, who is leading a team of international lawyers involved in the matter. "Our first obstacle is obtaining authentication of the order of Madam Justice Charmine Pembleton, appointing Mr Louison liquidator, so that my colleagues in San Jose can proceed with seeking recognition". Mr Seales added "Costa Rica does not have a consul resident in Grenada, and much to our surprise our envoy to the Costa Rican embassy in Trinidad was told to check the Ministry of foreign affairs in Trinidad to have the document authenticated. Mr. Edgar from the Costa Rican embassy in Trinidad rejected all requests for authentication, in that his consulate lacked Jurisdiction". The second obstacle Mr. Seales told this writer relates to the circumstance, that although Grenada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Apostille the Court Order, in effect authenticating it under recognized principles of international law, specifically, Convention de La Haye Du 5 Octobre, 1961, Costa is not a signatory to that convention and therefore its conduct is guided purely by its body of domestic and international law, which is based on civil law-Napoleonic Code." Mr Seales believes that "It is possible to conceive that such a combination of contrasting legal systems, a cross border fact pattern of alleged criminal conduct in view of the Extradition request lodged by the United States and the status of diplomatic relations between Costa Rica and Grenada-OECS for that matter, that depositors monies have fallen through the cracks and varnished". However, says "We are optimistic as a result of directions given at a meeting with Costa Rican foreign affairs officials on March 16th in San Jose basically giving two options for a third party state with consul present in Grenada at the same time having relations with Costa Rica, to conduct the authentication. "Our team is eager to get into court in Costa Rica and put the evidence of the banks assets before the Court, the fundamental argument is naturally that those assets should fall under the control of Mr Louison for the protection of the depositors" he ended. It is not the first time that Grenada is at the centre of similar scandals. In the late 1990's Van Brink from First International Bank defrauded several United States and Canadian citizens of millions of dollars, which are yet to be recovered. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com