Devyani Khobragade: Diplomat row charges dropped in US

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Charges against an Indian diplomat whose arrest strained US-India relations have been dropped by a US judge.

Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled Devyani Khobragade had diplomatic immunity at the time of her indictment on visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper.

Ms Khobragade, who has since left the US, said through a lawyer she felt the rule of law had prevailed.

Tuesday's ruling does leave open the possibility that prosecutors could bring a new indictment.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26554245

[JI7]

1. what a fucking joke, i hope new charges are brought

since when does one have immunity over slavery

[Recursion]

5. Oddly enough, the underpayment wasn't the alleged crime, just the misrepresentation

You actually can underpay or even not pay workers who come on a G-3 or A-5 visa (China seems to not pay theirs at all, at least until they get back to China), but they say that up front on their visa applications (and get a stern letter from State, along with the requested visas...)

Incidentally, this is the top story in the Times of India today...

[JI7]

9. i think even in this case if she had paid when she was first warned

none of this would ahve been an issue. but her and her dad started going after the maid in india .

[cosmicone]

17. No new charges will be brought.

Preet Bharara would be asked to heel and obey. This should have been done in the first place.

[JI7]

23. you are angry he went after dinesh dsouzza

[cosmicone]

24. No. Dinesh D'souza is a jerk and should be punished

but not singled out in Preet Bharara's dragnet of people with brown skins.

[msanthrope]

2. Too bad...they should bring a new indictment. nt

[cosmicone]

18. hahahahahahahaha in your dreams n/t

[msanthrope]

26. Apparently my dreams came true....

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Preet-Bharara-will-not-bend-indicts-Devyani-Khobragade-again/articleshow/32044676.cms

[cosmicone]

30. I concede

for a short while at least..........................

[leftynyc]

25. As long as she stays out of the US

they wont bring charges. That's fine by me.

[Chan790]

3. As long as she never comes back to US soil, that's fine with me.

Despite all the hullabaloo when she was charged, it was unlikely she was ever facing more than expulsion anyways. Effectively, she expelled herself. Good riddance to trash.

[JI7]

6. i think her husband and kids (all born in the US) are still here

i really hope she doesn't come back but i have a feeling she will.

[cosmicone]

15. That is Pakistan's point of view

Thank you for that!

[JI7]

22. you are just like the pakistani conspiracy theorists with your "CIA is behind this"

[cosmicone]

16. She will come back

and after Preet Bharara has been given a talking to by the State Department, he will stand down.

[cosmicone]

19. She will come back

and no one will do anything against her at this point. India is far too important to the US than a whining maid.

[msanthrope]

27. Apparently not....

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Preet-Bharara-will-not-bend-indicts-Devyani-Khobragade-again/articleshow/32044676.cms

[cosmicone]

29. Preet Bharara

is just trying to show how much of a good old American boy he has become by charging brown-skinned people from South Asia like Rajat Gupta, Raj Rajarathnam and Devyani Khobragade.

I'll have respect for him when he charges some from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Lehman Bros., for what they did to ruin the lives of millions with the subprime mortage scam.

I'm not holding my breath.

[msanthrope]

32. Didn't Gupta work for Sachs? Board member, right? Jury found him guilty?

Preet's doing pretty well....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/04/meet-preet-bharara-who-just-won-the-biggest-insider-trading-case-ever/

[840high]

4. What a joke.

[golfguru]

7. Judge Shira Scheindlin

May not be morally right, but legally correct decision.
That is what judges are supposed to do.

[jsr]

8. Good riddance to criminal trash.

[GermanSmoker]

10. Good

I am on the side of India. That is no way to handle such diplomatic matters. If a US diplomat would be treated that way, the USA would raise hell.

[cosmicone]

31. +1,000,000 n/t

[geomon666]

11. What about her slave?

Is she still wanted in India? Are they still holding her family hostage?

[DRoseDARs]

12. Thank God pretty and weathy won the day for once, that poor woman. nt

[AtheistCrusader]

13. That's good.

I'd hate to see us put a dent in one of the remaining open and obvious forms of human slavery.

[cosmicone]

14. Preet Bharara primarily goes after south Asians

to show what a good old American boy he has become.

He has never charged a single person from Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley or JP Morgan Chase who created the subprime crisis and caused a lot of people to lose their life's savings.

He should never have arrested and strip searched a diplomat.

However, the Christian fundamentalist people in the State Department were responsible for this because the scheming maid was a christian and they helped her family escape.

I hope her in-laws who helped with this are charged in India and sent to prison for treason.

The US now has a maid and a chauffeur who have committed treason to get a US green card. I hope they are happy knowing that they can never return to India and see their families nor can their families come visit them in the US.

As for Devyani, she will come back with a full diplomatic immunity and show a finger to Preet Bharara.

This is one case that should have been handled in the backstage with discretion -- if the US thinks India is an important ally.

[JI7]

21. you are angry he went after Dinesh d'souza

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. Never mind.

[Ash_F]

28. I hope the federal government will start going after wage thieves in the US now. /nt