Court rejects Davis’ claim of immunity * Additional district and sessions judge rules US national has failed to produce any legitimate document proving his diplomatic immunity
* Court adjourns case until 8th
LAHORE: A lower court on Thursday rejected the application of US national Raymond Davis seeking diplomatic immunity from murder trial against him.
The court held that the accused did not enjoy immunity, as the certificate required to substantiate his diplomatic status had not been submitted by the Foreign Ministry.
Additional District and Sessions judge, Muhammad Yousaf Aujla, was hearing the murder trial inside the Kot Lakhpat Jail against Davis for killing two Pakistanis.
“The court passed an order, saying that Davis had failed to produce any legitimate document proving his diplomatic immunity,” said Asad Manzoor Butt, the lawyer representing the families of the two men shot by Davis.
“The judge rejected his (Davis’s) immunity claim after a lengthy debate,” Butt said.
His lawyer pleaded that he could not be prosecuted by this court because the diplomatic immunity issue was pending in the Lahore High Court.
“The judge replied that the Lahore High Court had not barred him from proceeding on the murder trial,” the counsel said.
The court ruled that the murder trial of the CIA contractor would go ahead, a source said after the closed-door hearing.
The hearing in the murder case took place amid high security in the jail, where Davis is being held, and was adjourned until March 8.
Zahid Bokhari, Davis’s lawyer, told AFP the judge had ordered the trial to continue because for the past one-and-a-half months no document had been produced in the court related to Davis’s immunity.
“We will see the detailed written order by the judge and then will be able to tell whether he had rejected the claim of diplomatic immunity or not,” he said.
“We have tried to stop this trial and asked for some documents related to this case from the court,” said Bokhari, who appeared for the first time on behalf of Davis.
At a previous hearing on February 25, Davis refused to sign the copy of the charge sheet, claiming diplomatic immunity and insisting that he be released.
An official of the US Consulate in Lahore and bereaved families were also present on the occasion. Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate on Thursday adjourned the hearing of an illegal arms case against Davis until March 15, his counsel Zahid Hussain Bukhari told APP. agencies