Wrongly accused 9/11 case pilot can claim damages
I hope this guy gets a result. What a nightmare to endure!
( A friend of mine,an ex freighter captain was wrongly locked up in an African prison for six months some years ago. Maggie Thatcher oiled the wheels to get him out.)
From the BBC website
A pilot wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers is entitled to claim damages, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Judges said evidence suggested police and prosecutors were responsible for "serious defaults" in detaining Lotfi Raissi in jail for nearly five months.
The ruling means the government has to reconsider the 33-year-old's claim for compensation, which it had refused.
Mr Raissi wants an apology and says his claim may run into millions of pounds. The government has said it may appeal.
He first applied for compensation in March 2004 under a Home Office scheme for people deprived of their liberty because of a miscarriage of justice.
They destroyed my life, they destroyed my career - for this I will never, ever forgive them
Speaking after the judgement, Mr Raissi, of west London, said he had suffered a miscarriage of justice, and had now been "completely exonerated".
"I am very glad. I always had faith in British justice.
"Surely I can expect to hear from the home secretary with the long-awaited apology very soon."
He said his wrongful arrest had left him blacklisted as a pilot and unable to work.
"They destroyed my life, they destroyed my career. For this I will never, ever forgive them," he said.
David Blunkett, who was Home Secretary when the Raissi case came to court in 2002, said the director of public prosecutions and the attorney general were responsible for deciding whether to take a case through the courts, not the home secretary.
The Home Office said the court's judgement reversed a decision made by the divisional court in the secretary of state's favour.
He considers that, unless he receives a public acknowledgement that he is not a terrorist, he will be unable to get his life back together again
Lord Justice Hooper
"We are considering the implications and whether or not to appeal," a Home Office spokesman said.
In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "We will study the issues raised which affect us.
"The judgement reaches no firm conclusions regarding the CPS and we were not formally involved in the proceedings."
Blacklisted
In giving the court's judgment, Lord Justice Hooper said: "The public labelling of the appellant as a terrorist by the authorities in this country, and particularly by the CPS, over a period of many months has had and continues to have, so it is said, a devastating effect on his life and on his health.
"He considers that, unless he receives a public acknowledgement that he is not a terrorist, he will be unable to get his life back together again."
Mr Raissi has said his claim will include compensation for the time spent in prison and the money he paid to train as a pilot, estimated at about £60,000.
He is currently not working and says he is blacklisted from working for any airline. He also intends to claim for compensation for the loss of his career.
Mr Raissi says he also plans to claim for damage to his health and the general effect on his life and his family.
His brother, Mohamed, was also arrested and detained for 42 hours, but won compensation from the Metropolitan Police last year, the level of which has yet to be determined.
Mr Raissi's wife, Sonia, however had her damages claim for £150,000 for being held for five days rejected by the High Court.
Extradition warrant
The Algerian pilot was arrested under the Terrorism Act at his home in the UK soon after the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. He was accused of having trained the 19 hijackers.
After seven days he was released but was re-arrested under an extradition warrant issued at the request of the US government.
He remained in Belmarsh Prison for four-and-a-half months until he was granted bail. The Crown Prosecution Service, which was representing the US, had objected to bail.
In April 2002, a judge ruled that there was no evidence connecting him to terrorism.
His appeal case was originally brought against the home secretary, but following the department's split, a decision on any compensation will be made by the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw.