Devyani Khobragade Accredited To The UN Before Arrest: India Tells U.S.


Washington: India has informed the U.S. that Devyani Khobragade was accredited to the UN as a member of the country's delegation to the General Assembly before her arrest in a visa fraud case.

"We have been advised by the Government of India that Ms Khobragade was notified to the United Nations as a member of India's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in September. We are currently looking into the matter," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told PTI.

The assertion by the Indian government that Ms Khobragade was part of the Indian delegation to the UN beginning September, sources said, would grant her full diplomatic immunity and thus any arrest would be considered a violation of the Vienna Convention.

With the latest revelation, it has emerged that Ms Khobragade enjoyed full diplomatic immunity including from personal arrest and detention on December 12 when she was taken into custody by the U.S. authorities in the visa fraud case.

39-year-old Khobragade, who was posted as Deputy Consul General in New York, was also accredited as an "Advisor to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations" by the UN w.e.f. 26th August 2013 and her status as an Advisor was valid until December 31, 2013. The accreditation was for the UN General Assembly 2013, sources said in New Delhi.

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Source: PTI