Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    In-person classes will remain suspended in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais schools on Thursday    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    Saudi Football Federation reappoints Hervé Renard to lead national team    Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Saudi remains behind bars after $2m bond posted
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 07 - 06 - 2013

This undated booking mug shot released by Warrensburg Police Department shows Ziyad Abid, a former University of Central Missouri student from Saudi Arabia accused of paying his roommate to kill a local bar owner. — AP


WARRENSBURG, Missouri — Ziyad Abid was a university student aspiring to become a pilot like his father back home in Saudi Arabia when he was accused of paying his roommate to kill a local bar owner. The judge set bond at $2 million, which was paid in full. Yet two months later, Abid remains jailed because a judge is refusing to let him out. The judge acknowledged he may be violating the Missouri Constitution, which allows suspects to be held without bond only in capital murder cases. But the judge won't budge. Or explain why.
Abid's lawyers, including a former US attorney for Missouri, have asked a state appeals court to release Abid and remove Circuit Judge Michael Wagner from the case, arguing that he's biased in part by Abid's nationality. The court has given Wagner until Monday to respond.
“There's no indication whatsoever this case has anything to do with any kind of subversive activity or terrorism,” said defense attorney John Osgood, the former federal prosecutor. “This is a plain, old simple murder of a bar owner done by a bouncer who was fired a week before. My client just happened to be his roommate.”
Both men are charged with first-degree murder, but not capital murder, and armed criminal action. If convicted, they could face up to life in prison.
David Mitchell, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, agreed that Wagner may have “an unconscious bias that might be acting out” about Abid's nationality. He said the judge likely fears Abid could flee ahead of his Aug. 20 trial, noting that the involvement of the Saudi government, a US ally, is especially unusual and has increased that speculation.
“Imagine if this judge grants bail and this person flees. Think of the ramifications,” Mitchell said.
David A. Martin, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who specializes in immigration issues, said the judge's concerns weren't unfounded.
“There have been instances of this kind in the past where someone who bonded out from a criminal proceeding moved quickly through the deportation proceeding and was deported before local law enforcement knew about it,” Martin said. “I know ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was working on better communication in that kind of setting, but these instances have occurred.”
One of Abid's attorneys, Pat Peters, insisted the government rarely deports foreigners in such cases.
Still, defense attorneys insist Abid isn't going anywhere, arguing that prosecutors' case won't hold up. In a recent court motion, they said Singletary gave investigators several stories — including saying a Kansas City gang put him up to the killing, then agreeing with interrogators that the mafia made him do it — before saying Abid was involved.
“While there is overwhelming evidence that Singletary killed Whitworth, there is no corroborating or physical evidence suggesting Abid was involved: no DNA, no fingerprints, nothing. There is only the statement of confessed murderer Singletary,” the attorneys wrote.
During a hearing April 5, Wagner told Peters the court would be satisfied if $2 million were deposited in its bank account. The money was wired that day, according to court documents. But a few days later, Wagner reversed himself. Peters confronted him, according to court transcripts, saying: “I just want to make sure I heard this court just say that despite the law, despite Judge Cook's order, despite the representations by the prosecutor and defense counsel, you have just said ‘no bond' in this case.”
It's not unusual for the Saudi government to help its citizens who get into trouble in the US, but Wagner's response is far from the norm, said John Leger, an attorney for the Saudi government who handles legal matters for the Saudi consulate overseeing Missouri and 15 other US states.
“I've been doing this over 40 years, and I've never seen this,” Leger said, estimating that about 47,000 Saudi students are in the US. “It's not whether (Abid) deserves it or does not, or if he's guilty or not guilty,” he said. “The rules say he's entitled to a bond.” — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.