HL Deb 16 October 2000 vol 617 cc70-1WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why they considered it appropriate to entertain a request for the extradition to the United Arab Emirates of Mr Mohamed Lodhi, who has been convicted there in absentia on charges which carry the death penalty. [HL4042]

Lord Bassam of Brighton

The request for Mr Mohamed Lodhi's extradition for drugs offences was made under the provisions of the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances ("the Vienna Convention") to which both the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates are signatories.

As Mr Lodhi currently has an application for habeas corpus outstanding, the case is sub judice, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the substance of the case.

If the case clears all the judicial stages, it will return to the Home Office for a decision on surrender. At that stage the case will be considered in the round, taking all relevant factors into account.