India hits back at UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

India has hit back at UN rights experts who accused the country of jailing a British arms dealer extradited from the UAE, AFP reported.

Christian Michel has been imprisoned in India since December 2018 after he was extradited from Dubai on charges of bribing and conspiring with Delhi officials over a major helicopter deal.

On Friday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) raised concerns that his extradition represented “a de facto swap” for India’s capture and return of a high-profile detainee to the UAE, without providing more details.

Michel’s detention was politically motivated and without a legal basis, WGAD said, demanding his immediate release and compensation from both nations, AFP reported.

But India’s Foreign Ministry Saturday rejected the assessment and accused the expert group of bias, accusing them of having an “inaccurate understanding of the country’s criminal justice system.”

They said that Michel’s removal was permitted under an extradition treaty between the states.

“The arrest and subsequent custody were done as per the due process of law and cannot be considered arbitrary on any grounds,” it said.

The ministry added that Michel has been given all legal rights.

New Delhi cancelled the AgustaWestland deal — agreed under a previous government in 2010 — in January 2014 amid allegations the firm paid bribes to win the $677 million contract for 12 helicopters.

Indian investigators charged Michel in 2017, when he was working in the UAE, with arranging $52 million as kickbacks.