12 Somali pirates temporarily charged in Mauritius
Source: The Independent Daily
THE 12 Somali pirates were temporarily charged with ‘committing act of piracy in high seas, armed with offensive weapons’ under the Piracy and Maritime Violence Act at the Port Louis District Court on Saturday [26 Jan].
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Suspect Pirates Landed in Mauritius Photo: Eunavfor
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They appeared before magistrate Nalini Senevrayar-Cunden and have requested the Court to enable them to benefit from free legal aid swearing an affidavit to that effect.
They were then remanded in police custody and taken to the Alcatraz Detention Centre at Central Barracks.
Early in the morning, they were subjected to an interrogatory session before being brought to court and the interrogation of the pirates aged between 22 and 45 years is set to continue on Monday. They will then be transferred to Beau-Bassin Prison where a separate dormitory has been set up for them.
Judge Prithviraj Fekna has been chosen to preside over the trial which is scheduled to open officially in two weeks. If they are found guilty of the charges held against them, the pirates could face up to 60 years in prison.
Officers from the Director of Public Prosecution will also attend the trial. They have received training from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and even attended the trials of pirates in Seychelles. In July 2011, an agreement was signed between Mauritius and the EU for the transfer of pirates to Mauritius for investigation, prosecution, trial and detention.
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