A Delhi court has denied bail to a 55-year-old French woman, who was arrested here pursuant to a red corner notice against her for her alleged role in a terror attack in Chile leading to the death of a senator in 1991.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Ajay Garg dismissed the bail plea of Verhoeven Marie Emmanuelle observing that allegations against her were prima facie serious possessing threat to sovereignty of a country.
“Admittedly, prima facie the allegations against the FC (fugitive criminal) are of serious nature and pose a threat to the sovereignty of country. The matter is at initial stages and inquiry is yet to commence. The FC will get ample opportunity to lead evidence in her favour to falsify the claim of the government of Chile,” the court said.
Special public prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta, appearing for the government of India, told the court that Emmanuelle had allegedly participated in the conspiracy to commit the terrorist attack which led to the death of senator Jaime Guzman Errazuriz in Chile on April 1, 1991.
He said that during the probe of the case, Emmanuelle’s name cropped up after which a red corner notice (RCN) was issued against her by the government there and she was apprehended in Germany on January 25, 2014.
She was kept in pre-trial detention but the German court rejected the extradition request of Chile after which on the basis of valid Indian visa, she came here and was apprehended in Uttar Pradesh pursuant to the RCN, the counsel said.
Seeking bail, Emmanuelle’s counsel said that till her apprehension in Germany, she had returned to her native country from Chile and was living with her children.
Her counsel argued that Emmanuelle was falsely implicated in the case due to political vendetta.
The defence counsel argued that while dealing with issue of extradition request in the case, two judges of the Chilean Supreme Court had expressed dissenting opinion in their March 21 last year decision.
