UK extradition laws to be reformed
MPs call for applied changes to Babar Ahmad case following evidence admissions
A parliamentary debate on extradition took place on Monday 5 December where it was concluded that there should be further calls for a public inquiry into the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The debate came as a result of an e-petition to put Babar Ahmad on trial in the UK securing over 141,000 signatures within three months.
The CPS has already admitted that it had never reviewed the evidence against Babar Ahmad (who was an employee of Imperial College’s IT department at the time of his arrest in 2004) before it was sent to the US. The CPS claims that it was not aware of all the evidence possessed by the US authorities even though the British police had seized all the evidence in the UK. The CPS has nevertheless repeatedly refused to prosecute Babar Ahmad in the UK claiming that there is “insufficient evidence”.
Consequently, Caroline Lucas MP called for a full public inquiry into the CPS and their handling of the evidence of Babar Ahmad’s case.
Stephen Phillips MP said he was “horrified” by what Caroline Lucas revealed, adding that it was a “stain on justice in the UK” for Babar to have been imprisoned for over seven years without trial.
Father of Babar Ahmad, Ashfaq Ahmad said: “The government continues to dodge the serious questions raised by Dr Caroline Lucas in relation to the CPS behaviour. The CPS has allowed Babar to languish in prison without trial for over seven years claiming there is “insufficient evidence” to prosecute him, evidence which they now admit they never even saw.”
Caroline Lucas MP has called for a public inquiry into the handling of evidence
“We fully support Dr Lucas’s call for a full public inquiry into the CPS actions in this case and call on the Attorney General to direct the Director of Public Prosecutions to review all the evidence against Babar with a view to prosecuting him in the UK.”
A motion was passed for the UK’s extradition laws to be urgently reformed in order to strengthen the protection of British citizens. Many MPs called for any potential changes in the law to apply to cases such as those of Babar Ahmad, Talha Ahsan, and Gary McKinnon.
