French Embassy asks govt about delay in Sobhraj case

July 1, 2004
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The Kathmandu based French Embassy has expressed serious concern over the delay on a verdict in the trial of Charles Sobhraj, a French national and a suspected international serial killer, a daily reported Thursday.

Sobhraj has already spent nine months in the Nepal Central Jail and is still awaiting a court verdict on the criminal case pending against him.

According to The Himalayan Times, the embassy expressing concern over the delay in the verdict, wrote to the Nepali authorities via the consular section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The embassy of the French Republic would be grateful if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nepal would kindly ask the concerned authorities of the government to arrive at a verdict as expeditiously as possible on the criminal case of Sobhraj,” the daily quoted the letter dated June 18 as saying.

The daily added that the administrative chief of the Kathmandu district court, Balabhadra Banstola, said the case has been scheduled for a final hearing on July 5.

“As the Bhaktapur District Court, the Police and government attorney’s office could not find the file registered in 1975 against Sobhraj, we have no option but to decide the case registered here,” said the daily quoting Banstola. The Kathmandu district court judge, Bishowambhar Shrestha, has been examining the case against Sobhraj.

Charles Sobhraj, entered Nepal in 1975 as Henricus Bintanja, a Dutch

national, and during his stay, he allegedly killed Connie Jo Bronich of California, USA and Laurent Ormond Carrierre of Manitoba, Canada.

In 2003, Sobhraj came to Nepal again and was arrested once the authorities were informed that he was in the country.