Written question asked by Peter Bottomley (Conservative), in the House of Commons. It was answered by Ian McCartney (Labour) on Thursday, 24 May 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Krishna Maharaj

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times officials from her Department have (a) met and (b) made representations on behalf of Krishna Maharaj

Answer: Officials from our consulate in Orlando have met with Mr. Maharaj on several occasions since 2002 when he was re-sentenced to life imprisonment. The most recent of these visits was made by our consul on 19 January. Mr. Maharaj and his wife are in frequent contact with our consular officials in Orlando both by letter and telephone. Since 2002, we have submitted three amicus curiae briefs to the US courts on a point of international law in Mr. Maharaj’s case. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office both here and overseas are following this case very closely, and representations at official level are made at every appropriate opportunity. We continue to monitor the case in consultation with Mr. Maharaj’s legal representatives in the US and UK.

Secondary information