German’s kidnapper lawyer demand retrial [Archives:2002/08/Local News]

Verdicts against four kidnappers of German engineer, Lenier Carl, last year were ambiguous, lawyers of the abductors told the Appeal Court in Sana’a on February 10.
Lawyer Samir Hashim, said the evidence was weak and the testimonies quoted by the Supreme Court were inconsistent. Some witnesses said that the number of kidnappers were seven while some others said they were six.
The German hostage himself said there were three.
The lawyer clarified that the primary court did not conduct a judicial investigation into the case during the course of the trial, as it had relied only on the investigation conducted by the prosecution and the law-enforcement authorities.
The court demanded extending the penalty and changing the term of imprisonment. The reason for doubling the punishment, according to the court, was that the kidnappers were involved in forming an armed gang for abducting foreigners, and had made many attempts to do so. Doubling the penalties is in accordance with the Anti-banditry and -kidnapping law, the court added.
Chairman of the court, Mr. Saeed al-Qata’a, adjourned the trial to Feb. 17, stressing in the meantime that the court should publicly circulate, through the press, the names and pictures of the fugitives involved in abduction to help in arresting them.
The primary court issued a verdict on December 19, 2001 of a 25-year imprisonment for Ahmed Nassir al-Zaidi. The court also tried in absentia the three kidnappers and issued 20-year imprisonment terms against each one of them.
The German engineer, Carl, was abducted by a tribal group on Feb. 27 2001 which coincided with President Salehs visit to Germany.

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