Guyanese jailed in India for blood diamond trade

TIMES INT'L

A court in Indian last Thursday sentenced two foreign nationals arrested in 2008 to four years in prison for trading in “blood diamonds”. A fine of Rs 1 lakh was also imposed on each of them.

Robai Hussain of Guyana and Yusuf Ossely of Lebanon were arrested in their room in Arpan Apartments, at Rampura in Surat, by sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) during a raid on September 19, 2008.

They were found to be carrying diamonds worth Rs 3.85 crore without certification from Kimberly Process, a global watchdog that monitors trading in blood diamonds — the precious stones mined and sold by rebels to finance war against legitimately elected governments in Zimbabwe and a few other African countries.

During interrogation, they confessed to having bought the diamonds from Zimbabwe with intention to sell them in the local market in Surat. The duo were then sent to judicial custody at Surat sub-jail by a local court. On Thursday, Judge V G Trivedi found them guilty, relying on their confession statements and other evidence produced by the prosecution.

Sources have said that while Robai Hussain had come to India five times before being caught on the sixth, Ossely had been to India twice. Nayan Sukhadwala, the government pleader in the district, said, “Both have spent two years and two months in Surat sub-jail, which will be deducted from the four-year jail term (imposed on them). Their conviction in the case was necessary, since they had brought rough diamonds to India without Kimberly Process Certification. The Indian government had issued a notification in 2001 that KPC is necessary for import of rough diamonds.” Defence lawyer Kirit Panwala has said he would appeal against the order.  (Indianexpress.com)

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