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Liz LynneLiberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands 1999-2012 |
LibDem MEP plea to stop Arapi extradition as a clear case of mistaken identity
June 2, 2010 4:46 PM
Liz Lynne MEP has lobbied Italian MEPs from the ALDE group to intervene in the Arapi case
Euro MP Liz Lynne has appealed to the Italian Ambassador and to Italian Euro MPs in the Genoa area to try and stop an extradition claim against Staffordshire resident Edmond Arapi for a murder he could not possibly have committed.
Mr Arapi, originally from Albania, a chef legally resident in the UK, was given a 16 year jail term by an Italian court for a stabbing carried out in Genoa in October 2004, on a day he can prove he was working in a café in Leek in Staffordshire.
His fight against extradition, which goes to an appeal at the High Court later this month, is being backed by West Midlands Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne and Fair Trials International.
Liz Lynne said there was overwhelming evidence that Mr Arapi was living and working in Leek on the day of the crime and never left the UK at any point between 2002 and his marriage in 2006.
A handwriting expert has authenticated his signature on a delivery note received at the café on October 26 2004, the day of the murder 700 miles away.
Lynne said: "Edmond Arapi has been through a horrendous ordeal due to a clear case of mistaken identity, based on the alias Edmond Braka used by the real killer who apparently confessed to this crime.
"I have appealed to the Italian Ambassador and to Italian Euro MPs from the Liberal and Democrat ALDE group to intervene with the judicial authorities in Genoa to recognise that a serious error has occurred.
"It is somewhat startling that Mr Arapi was totally unaware that he had been accused and tried in absentia for this crime and then had the decision considered by an Italian appeal court.
"The basis of European Human Rights Law is that everyone is entitled to know if they are accused of an offence and given a full and fair trial. In this case, it is quite clear that Mr Arapi has overwhelming alibi evidence that he was not involved, which he never was asked to submit."
"This kind of case unfortunately undermines the principle of the European Arrest Warrant, which is a good one and essential to cracking down on terrorism and international crime."
Liz Lynne has also written to the Foreign Secretary William Hague and Home Secretary Theresa May urging them to use their influence to get the case dropped.
ENDS
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