NEW DELHI: India on Saturday hit back at UN rights experts who accused the country of jailing a British arms dealer extradited from the United Arab Emirates in a suspected swap for a runaway princess.
Christian Michel has been imprisoned in India since December 2018 after he was extradited from Dubai on charges of bribing and conspiring with Delhi officials over a major helicopter deal.
On Friday the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) raised concerns that his extradition represented “a de facto swap” for India’s capture and return of a high-profile detainee to the UAE, without providing more details.
Michel’s detention was politically motivated and without a legal basis, WGAD said, demanding his immediate release and compensation from both nations.