Kanishka bomber not offered leniency: Prosecutor
Prosecutors have denied reports they offered Inderjit Singh Reyat a reduced sentence on separate charges if he informs on his co-conspirators.
By Agencies |
OTTAWA: Prosecutors have denied reports they offered the only person jailed for the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 'Kanishka' that killed 329 people a reduced sentence on separate charges if he informs on his co-conspirators.
Earlier, the Globe and Mail reported Inderjit Singh Reyat, now serving a five-year sentence for bomb-making, would receive another two to five years in prison if convicted of perjury, if he squeals on others involved in the bombing.
The maximum penalty for lying under oath in Canada is 14 years in prison.
Prosecution spokesman Geoff Gaul denied the story on Friday.
"No deal has been offered to Reyat. The prosecution is preparing for the trial that's set to begin in February," Gaul said.
He conceded having "discussions" with defense attorneys about how the trial would unfold, but added: "To suggest that a deal has been offered to Mr Reyat in exchange for a guilty plea is false."
At present, it is not clear if Reyat will be released February 9 at the end of his first sentence, or remain in custody pending the outcome of the trial on the new charges.
An indictment filed in February 2006 lists 27 instances in which Reyat allegedly lied under oath while testifying at the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri.
Both men were acquitted in the plot in 2005. But the trial judge called Reyat an "unmitigated liar" who minimised his involvement in the conspiracy.
The alleged mastermind, Talwinder Singh Parmar, was killed in a police shootout in India in 1992.
Earlier, the Globe and Mail reported Inderjit Singh Reyat, now serving a five-year sentence for bomb-making, would receive another two to five years in prison if convicted of perjury, if he squeals on others involved in the bombing.
The maximum penalty for lying under oath in Canada is 14 years in prison.
Prosecution spokesman Geoff Gaul denied the story on Friday.
"No deal has been offered to Reyat. The prosecution is preparing for the trial that's set to begin in February," Gaul said.
He conceded having "discussions" with defense attorneys about how the trial would unfold, but added: "To suggest that a deal has been offered to Mr Reyat in exchange for a guilty plea is false."
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At present, it is not clear if Reyat will be released February 9 at the end of his first sentence, or remain in custody pending the outcome of the trial on the new charges.
An indictment filed in February 2006 lists 27 instances in which Reyat allegedly lied under oath while testifying at the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri.
Both men were acquitted in the plot in 2005. But the trial judge called Reyat an "unmitigated liar" who minimised his involvement in the conspiracy.
The alleged mastermind, Talwinder Singh Parmar, was killed in a police shootout in India in 1992.
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