Lawyer surprised how US dropped charges against Jabir Motiwala

LONDON: Karachi businessman Jabir Siddiq’s solicitor has said that the decision by the US Department of Justice to drop the extradition request and dismiss all charges against the Pakistani national came as a big surprise.

For nearly three years, Deepak Vij represented Jabir Siddiq - referred to as Jabir Motiwala - during extradition proceedings before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the High Court in London. The News had published an exclusive on 19th March 2021 revealing that American National Kamran Faridi, a veteran agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), confessed to Jabir’s solicitors that he was involved in the illegal entrapment of Jabir Siddiq.

The same evidence was placed before two judges at the Appeal proceedings before the High Court on 24th and 25th March 2021. A week later, the US Department of Justice unexpectedly dropped the case against Jabir.

In an interview, Deepak Vij told The News and Geo: “The news came as a big surprise. Something that we did not envisage would ever happen bearing in mind the stance taken throughout the extradition process by the US Department of Justice. The Appeal took place before the High Court between the 24th and 25th March 2021 and whilst we were waiting for the High Court Judgment, on the 6th April 2021 the Crown Prosecution Service informed us that the U.S Department of Justice had decided to dismiss all charges against Jabir Siddiq and formally withdraw the extradition request.”

Jabir Siddiq’s lawyers first provided the US Department of Justice with evidence of their dealings with Kamran Faridi when they lodged the Appeal before the High Court in the Perfected Grounds of Appeal on 11th May 2020 as fresh evidence.

On 25th September 2020, a High Court Judge granted leave to appeal for Jabir Siddiq’s lawyers to pursue the argument relating to Kamran Faridi at any final appeal hearing. Deepak Vij said: “The US Department of Justice had every opportunity to respond to this evidence but failed to do so. It would have made more sense to withdraw the extradition request at that stage and before the actual Appeal Hearing, if that was the rationale behind their decision to do so.

“We say in fact that the foundation of their case was rotten from the outset and that the extradition request should never have been made in the first place.” Vij said that Jabir’s entire legal team believed that he was innocent and fought vigorously in this case for nearly three years. It is unclear why the US decided to arrest Jabir in London in 2018, when the alleged offences took place many years earlier. There was plenty of opportunity to arrest him when he had previously been in the US and several other countries, the lawyer said.

Jabir flew out to Pakistan on 15th April 2021 to be with his family. His legal team said that they would be reviewing the pursuit of damages against the US Department of Justice be inviting them to provide an explanation for the decision to firstly apply for his extradition and then after nearly three years in custody, withdrawing the same request.