Lawyers representing five men fighting extradition to Florida say that they are still not in a position to proceed with an appeal as they still don't have transcripts of the committal proceedings that ended 11 years ago.

Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs on Friday set another status hearing in respect of the extradition hearing of Austin "Ozzie" Knowles, Nathaniel Knowles, Edson Watson, Shawn Saunders, who also uses the surname Bruey, and former policeman Ian Bethel.

The men are expected to return to court on July 17 for an update on whether they have obtained the transcripts. They are represented by Elliot Lockhart, QC, Ian Cargill and Osman Johnson.

Neil Brathwaite appears for the United States government. Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Marcus Bethel granted the go-ahead for the extradition proceedings to commence against the men in February 2003. Then Magistrate Carolita Bethell approved the extradition request in 2004 and committed the men to prison to await extradition. They were freed on bail in 2005.

A Florida court in March 2003 transferred the case against the men to the suspended or fugitive file.

Saunders' brother, Carlo Bruey, was indicted in the same case. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 months' imprisonment in 2004.

Austin Knowles' brother-in-law, Shervin Emmanuel, was extradited from Jamaica in 2006 on the same indictment and was convicted at trial and sentenced to 348 months' imprisonment in 2007.

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