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Mutairi case verdict on Oct 28
âIâm afraid to say the Public Prosecution has become part of the intelligence system instead of being part of judiciary,â attorney Mohamed Menwir Al-Mutairi, who is defending Sami Mohamed Marzouq Al-Mutairi, told the Court of Appeals Wednesday. However, the court interrupted the lawyer and told him to concentrate on defending his client, before the court set Oct 28, 2003 to issue a verdict.
"Shuddup, Counselor. Stick to the case at hand."
"I am stickin' to the case at hand, y'r honor! I..."
"Bailiff! Beat him up!" |
On June 4, the Criminal Court sentenced Sami to death for the premeditated murder of Michael Rene Pouliot and the attempted murder of David Caraway in a gun attack near Doha on Jan 21, 2003. The court also sentenced Khalifa Hilal Al-Dihani and Badi Cruz Al-Ajmi to 3 years each, but acquitted another man - Rajeh Hassan Al-Ajmi - involved in the case of all charges. Another man, Abdullah Amer Al-Otaibi, was given 8 years imprisonment in absentia. The two victims were on military contracts under the sponsorship of a San Diego, California-based software company, Tapestry Solutions. Sami was also sentenced to eight years for other charges. The lawyer reminded the court he had been prevented from attending the interrogations with his client when he was arrested. âBeing present during interrogations is a guarantee the accused has been dealt with fairly," the lawyer told the court. He added the interrogations by the Prosecution must be declared null and void due to procedural flaws. Al-Mutairi added, the Public Prosecution warrant was issued to search his client, his home and car, however, when the authorities found nothing in his possession, they searched his workplace, which is against the law. âIf we do not take into account the suspectâs confession in this case, we will not find any evidence against him,â said the lawyer. Moreover, he added, "the confession was made under duress and we had proved this fact during earlier court sessions."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-10-17 |
