The Saudi government has been footing the legal bills of nationals detained in the United States for alleged involvement in terrorist activities. The Kingdom has shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover lawyer fees and bail charges, reported AP.
US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials expressed concern over the Saudi payments, arguing that the support may have an affect on future testimonies. "To us, that is tantamount to buying off a witness,” said assistant director of the bureau's counter-terrorism division, John Pistole.
The Kingdom’s authorities maintain that since Saudi citizens are not familiar with the US legal system, they should be assisted in hiring capable lawyers to defend themselves. "Our view is give them lawyers and let the process take its course, and if they are found guilty of crimes, they will pay their price and would have had fair representation,” said Crown Prince Abdullah's foreign policy adviser, Adel Al-Jubeir.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States were from Saudi Arabia, but the Saudi government has declared it had no involvement in the plane hijackings. There are now approximately a dozen Saudi detainees in the US. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
