Trinidad to repeal law that dismisses court cases

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – The government of Trinidad is moving to repeal an unpopular law that calls for dismissing court cases 10 years or older that have not gone to trial in the Caribbean nation.

Many Trinidadians oppose the law because it would drop charges against a former prime minister and other government officials accused of receiving millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks from a U.S. contractor in the 1990s.

U.S. authorities have long sought to extradite two of the suspects and have condemned the law as well. Two business executives in the case pleaded guilty in a U.S. court in 2006.

The government of Trinidad said in a terse statement Tuesday that it will convene legislators Wednesday to repeal the law.