§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received regarding the detention and trial of Abdul Hadi al Gahtari currently held in jail in Zenica, central Bosnia for the murder of Paul Goodall, a driver working for the United Nations.
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§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe are aware of newspaper reports that Mr. al Gahtari has escaped from police custody. We have asked the Bosnian authorities to look into these allegations as a matter of urgency. We have raised this case with the Bosnian authorities on a number of occasions, most recently when a Foreign Office official visited Sarajevo on 29 March. We have also been in touch via the Bosnian embassy in London and our missions in Geneva. We have reminded the Bosnian Government of our concern that their investigations into the murder of Mr. Goodall should be taken forward quickly and those responsible brought to justice. The Overseas Development Administration has been in contact with the judicial authorities in Zenica and has engaged the services of a local lawyer to represent the interests of Mr. Goodall's family.