UN accreditation for Devyani Khobragade, immunity to follow soon - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Even as the US remains reluctant to drop visa fraud charges against diplomat Devyani Kohobragade, the government has taken the line that the 39-year-old IFS officer had fulfilled all her commitments in contracts signed with domestic help Sangeeta Richard. Khobragade on
Monday got accreditation from the UN in her current posting at India's permanent mission paving the way for full immunity after acknowledgement from the state department.
The government is insisting before the US that as per the contract signed between Khobragade and Richard on November 11, 2012, the diplomat had to pay only $1,560 (at $9.75 hourly wage and 40 hours of work per week) to the help monthly. Sources said this was being paid to her in the form of $560 (or Rs 30,000 transferred to Richard's bank account in India every month), another $375 as deducted from the salary to pay for her chargeable utilities like telephone usage, cable TV, non-work related conveyance, expenses and another $625 given in cash, occasionally with signed receipts. As there were several months where the weekly hours fell well below 40 working hours, the cash payment was apparently adjusted accordingly.
The government has conveyed to US authorities that the figure of $4,500, which is mentioned in the salary details box in form DS-160 that Khobragade helped Richard fill, has been "mistakenly'' quoted by US agencies.
It has also been discovered that all three tickets meant for husband Philip Richard and two children were purchased by the US embassy. Even tax exemption was availed. The tickets were paid for through Master Card, and the endorsement reads JNTAXEXEMPTEDUSEMBASSY. The three flew to New York three days before Khobragade's arrest.
The diplomat has been allowed exemption from appearing in court personally.
Khobragade is expected to have full immunity which will preclude any court jurisdiction over her, even if the crime was committed before the period of immunity. This will not be a "perpetual benefit'' for the diplomat though. In case she continues to stay back after the expiry of her full immunity, or comes back to the US in her personal capacity, she will have to face prosecution.
The
US embassy here has sought extension of Monday's deadline for filing the visa and other details of the Indians employed by it and its officers. This information includes salary being paid to domestic help employed by US diplomats in India. New Delhi has also sought information about spouses of diplomats and other officials working with the American Embassy School (AES).
India is expected to deliver new identity cards to US consular officials, which will ensure that they have only consular, and not diplomatic, immunity. The US sought to draw a distinction between consular and diplomatic immunity in the Khobragade case saying that she was entitled to only consular immunity in her capacity as deputy consul general. Until now, India had not differentiated between consular and diplomatic privileges for US officials and had given diplomatic immunity to all of them.
