Indian diplomat leaves U.S. amid grand jury indictment for visa fraud

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/09/indian-diplomat-leaves-u-s-amid-grand-jury-indictment-for-visa-fraud/



Indian diplomat leaves U.S. amid grand jury indictment for visa fraud
By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, January 9, 2014 16:50 EST

An Indian diplomat, whose arrest in New York sparked a bitter row, left the United States Thursday as she was hit with charges over treatment of her servant, prosecutors said.

In a statement to a court, federal prosecutors unveiled that a grand jury had filed two counts of visa fraud and making false statements against diplomat Devyani Khobragade but said that she would not be present for trial.

“We understand that the defendant was very recently accorded diplomatic immunity status, and that she departed the United States today,” Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, told the judge.

Indian officials did not immediately comment but have previously said that Khobragade, the deputy consul general in New York, was switching her accreditation to the United Nations which would allow her greater immunity.

[dipsydoodle]

1. "switching her accreditation"

Not sure that stunt would work. The US had already said she could only come back into the country if immunity was waived.

[unhappycamper]

2. I read an article from an Indian paper and I can't find the damn link.

It was talking about some of the things India was doing like removing NGOs (like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon etc. etc.) from the Embassy's MIC $ales office/ That's a step in the correct direction.

[dipsydoodle]

3. General note on her status here

Indian authorities had shifted Khobragade to their mission at the UN after her arrest, a move that should have guaranteed full diplomatic immunity rather than the limited immunity that comes with a consular post. However without the crucial visa from US authorities the possibility remained that Khobragade could still have been open to prosecution.

One sticking point in the deal, according to Indian officials, was Devyani's own demand that she be allowed to return to the US in the future. Her husband is a US citizen. It does not appear that this demand has been met.

"Upon her departure a warrant may be issued for her arrest and should she seek to enter the United States she could be arrested," said a diplomatic note issued by the US mission to the UN.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/10/devyani-khobragade-to-leave-us-under-diplomatic-immunity

With regard to repercussions it is really just a storm in a teacup.