§ 26. Mr. Bruceasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the imprisonment of two British helicopter engineers in Nigeria.
§ Mr. RifkindTwo British engineers employed by Bristows Helicopters were convicted in the Lagos high court on 7 October on charges of stealing and conspiracy to steal an aircraft and were sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment. We have made a number of high level representations to the Nigerian Government to express our concern at the severity of these sentences. An appeal has now been submitted and is expected to be heard early next year. We have expressed the hope to the Nigerian authorities that the appeal will be dealt with expeditiously and lead to an equitable outcome.