Pakistani national Jabir Motiwala, a close aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was on Monday remanded in further custody in the Wandsworth prison until August 13, when his case related to the US’s request to extradite him will come up for hearing.
Motiwala, 51, who appeared in the Westminster magistrates’ court via video-link from the west London prison, appeared in good health as Judge Michael Snow told him that Judge John Zani will hear the case on August 13.
Dawood Ibrahim is wanted in India for his alleged role in the 1993 Mumbai bombings which claimed lives of more than 200 people.
Motiwala is accused of laundering around US $1.4 million. The charges against him date back to 2011 and 2012 and could carry a sentence of around 25 years behind bars in the US.
Judge Zani, who has been hearing the extradition case, is due to give a ruling on whether a sovereign assurance is needed from the US authorities that Motiwala’s human rights would not be at risk in prison, if extradited. Motiwala’s defence team has raised the issue of his mental health and reported suicide attempts among reasons to resist his extradition to the US.
His defence has asked the court to seek an assurance from the US of the kind India had submitted in the Sanjeev Chawla extradition case, when the Union home ministry assured UK courts that his human rights would not be at risk in the Tihar jail in Delhi, if extradited. Chawla is wanted in India to face charges of match-fixing during South Africa’s tour in 2000.
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