§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has received from Clive Stafford Smith OBE, the Justice Center and others in relation to intervention in the Florida capital case of the British citizen, Krishna Maharaj; and if he will make a statement. [144464]
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§ Mr. HainClive Stafford Smith was in regular contact with our consular staff in Atlanta and Ministers in London during Maharaj's hearings in 1997. Additionally, Mr. Stafford Smith met briefly with Linda Nassar, our vice consul in Orlando, while attending the hearings. He also discussed the case informally with Sir John Kerr, then our ambassador to Washington. Since then he has been in occasional contact with consular staff in Atlanta.
Most recently officials in the FCO's consular division met with him and others on 4 January to discuss Mr. Maharaj's case. This followed a series of communications in December, written and oral, between officials and Mr. Stafford Smith and others.