Marines case: Italy offered 3 lakh euro, India promised trial in 4 months

NEW DELHI: Italy offered India a surety of 3 lakh Euro each for its two Marines to be allowed to remain in Italy which India rejected and made a counter-offer at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to complete trial of the marines within 4 months if Italy dropped its legal challenges before Indian courts.

"I have been instructed to state that India is prepared to guarantee that the decision of the Special Court could be handed down within four months from the date on which the hearings open, if Italy were to cooperate and withdraw its objections to the procedure before the Indian Supreme Court," the counsel for India proposed at ITLOS. The Tribunal is expected to announce a decision on August 24 on Italy's plea to allow the two Marines to stay in Italy. India's offer came in response to Italy offering that it could "transform the surety" of 300,000 euros in respect of each of the marines given before the SC through some appropriate arrangement into a surety given to Indian government in accordance with stipulations of an order of the Tribunal. "I cannot help being troubled and quite disturbed by Italy's offer, which I feel to be a kind of proposal to buy impunity for the two marines who stand accused of murder. In addition, the proposal is deceptive and, for India, it would be a fool’s bargain," the Indian counsel told ITLOS, saying India was "adamantly opposed" to such a transaction.

India added that murders are not “compensable offences” under Indian Penal Code. This was after one of the Judges on the Tribunal also asked Italy to be more specific about the proposal and asked India if it wished to react to the same.