RIYADH, 26 April 2004 — The British Embassy is working closely with the Saudi authorities to resolve the case of 47-year-old Mohammed Chaudhury.
Chaudhury is the longest-serving UK national in a Saudi jail; he has been imprisoned since June 1999 for negligence connected with a theft at a military hospital, said British Consul Ken Neill.
Neill said Chaudhury had been ordered by the Saudi authorities to pay a fine equivalent to £400,000.
“We are working with the Saudi authorities to reach an agreement and are hopeful of a solution in the near future,” Neill said.
Arab News raised the matter with British diplomats after receiving an appeal from Chaudhury’s wife who has called on British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to intervene and ask for clemency.
“We are confident that things are moving in the right direction,” Neill said. He would not, however, provide specifics. “Saudi officials, particularly at the Ministry of Interior or related government agencies, are in a position to address this issue on the Kingdom’s behalf,” he added.
Chaudhury’s wife, Shaheen, said, “We were hoping that he would be released in Ramadan. The embassy and the ambassador in Riyadh have been trying to do their best, but nothing seems to be happening. I would like to see the British government work as hard to get Mohammed out as they have done to get the release of people who had been sentenced to beheading. We cannot hope to pay the fine in view of our financial situation.”
Shaheen has also written to the Prince of Wales asking for assistance. Dr. Lynne Jones, the Labour MP from Birmingham Selly Oak, has been in touch with British Foreign Office officials about the problem.
