The motion demanding the extradition of Jean Hubert Celerine was called in court in Port-Louis this afternoon. Magistrate Shavina Jugnauth gave her ruling on the request by Me Yatin Varma to call Maneesh Gobin to the witness stand. She rejected it. The magistrate argued that the Attorney General was not directly involved in the case because he was not involved in the decision-making process.
She added that the present case was not a criminal trial. Therefore, according to Magistrate Shavina Jugnauth, there is no legal basis for cross-examining the Attorney General when he has not even been called as a witness. She therefore concluded that, at this stage, Mr Varma’s application was not relevant.
The hearing continued with evidence from representatives of the Master and Registrar, the Black River Court and the Passport and Immigration Office. In response to a question from Yatin Varma, the Master and Registrar stated that Jean Hubert Célerine was present at the time of the letter rogatory. As for the immigration officer, he stated that Franklin has travelled 6 times to date. He has travelled to France, Dubai, the Seychelles and Madagascar.
The case will be heard again in court in Port-Louis on 7 July.
