death penalty news
June 3, 2004
INDIA / EU:
National Network
Rajiv probe: UK, others seek shield before giving proof
Some European countries including the United Kingdom have sought sovereign
assurance from India over courts not awarding capital punishment to accused
if some evidence is handed over to the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency
(MDMA) probing leads thrown up by the Jain Commission of Inquiry into the
assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
The MDMA, whose term was extended on May 31, has also intensified its trail
of LTTE's financer K. Padmanathan alias ''KP'' as he could throw more light
on the conspiracy angle leading to the assassination, CBI sources said.
Constituted on December 2, 1998, the MDMA has sent Letters Rogatory (LR) to
23 countries seeking details about the bank transactions allegedly done at
the behest of godman Chandraswamy and movement of funds to LTTE by
Padmanathan.
Some European countries including Britain asked MDMA officials for a
sovereign assurance of not sentencing anyone to capital punishment if some
evidence was issued against the LR issued by India.
CBI would now be approaching the government to decide on the matter soon.
The CBI has so far located 50 bank transactions suspected to have been
carried out at the behest of Chandraswamy.
Sources said that some of the DMK leaders had been questioned over a period
of time but there was nothing against them. The MDMA had been mainly
focussing on ascertaining the place of conspiracy, procurement of weapons
and their transportation to India for the purpose of assassination of Gandhi.
(source: Indian Express)
