U.S. Re-Indicts Indian Diplomat Khobragade Former deputy consul general, now back in India, re-accused of visa fraud and exploitation of her maid in ongoing saga. An Indian diplomat has been re-indicted on US visa fraud charges that touched off an international stir after she was arrested and strip-searched in New York last year. The new indictment was filed on Friday. It essentially reinstates the charges against Devyani Khobragade. On Wednesday, a judge dismissed the previous indictment for diplomatic immunity reasons but left a door open to federal prosecutors to revive the case. Her lawyer had no immediate comment. Khobragade is back in India. Its unclear when, if ever, the former deputy consul general might appear in court in New York again. Prosecutors say she fraudulently obtained a work visa for her housekeeper and lied to the government about what she paid her. They accused her of forcing Sangeeta Richard to work 100-hour weeks at a salary of just over $1 an hour, far below the legal minimum US wage of $7.25 an hour. Her lawyer said she is immune from the prosecution. A State Department spokeswoman said earlier this week that the agencys position was that Khobragade had full immunity from prosecution only for a single day in January and no longer enjoyed protection from prosecution once she left the country. The dispute over Khobragades arrest set off reprisals against US diplomats and the removal of some security barriers near the US embassy in India. It also led to the postponement of trips by US officials and business executives to India, imperiling US efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries. Source: Agencies
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 07:01:38 +0000
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