THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012
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NEWS Assange applies for asylum in Ecuador
Man charged with killing Nigerian W in Dublin A
TWENTY-FIVE year old man has been charged with the manslaughter of a Nigerian taxi-driver in Dublin last year. Moses Ayanwole (41), who had been living in Ireland for 15 years, had been working in the city-centre when he sustained head injuries during a row at Pearse Street, on November 21 last year. Ayanwole, who had lived with his wife Olusola at Rusheeny Grove, Hartstown, West Dublin, was the father of a 12-yearold boy. He went into a coma and after being taken to St James’s Hospital, it was decided not to transfer him to
the specialist unit at Beaumont Hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries. He died two days later. Today unemployed William Keegan, of Pearse House, in Dublin 2, was charged with unlawfully killing Ayanwole. Det-Sergeant John Doyle told Judge Cormac Dunne at Dublin District Court that Keegan was arrested and charged yesterday at Pearse Street Garda station. “He made no reply to the charge after caution,” DetSgt Doyle told Judge Dunne, adding that he had no objection to bail.
He agreed with the judge that he did not consider Keegan to be a flight risk, but asked for him to surrender his passport as a condition of bail. Defence solicitor Shalom Binchy told Judge Dunne that the passport was in court and could be handed over. She also said Keegan’s brother would act as an independent surety. Det-Sgt Doyle agreed to Gerard Keegan acting as a bail person and added that the defendant’s brother was reliable and responsible. Olusola Ayanwole, the widow, was present for the
briefing, which was also attended by members of Mr Keegan’s family. Dressed in a grey jacket, white shirt, striped blue tie, and black trousers, Keegan did not address the court and has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge. Legal aid was granted and he was remanded on bail in his own bond of •500 along with an independent surety in the sum of •1,000, to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on June 26. Judge Dunne also directed that as a condition of bail, Keegan could not apply for a new passport and he has to sign on twice a week at Pearse Street garda station.
Court disqualifies Pakistani PM AKISTAN’s top court has disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from holding office, two months after convicting him of contempt of court. The Supreme Court ruled he had “ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan”. In April, the Supreme Court convicted Gilani of failing to pursue corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari. The legal case is part of a bitter feud between Pakistan’s civilian government and the judiciary. In April, Gilani was given
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only a token sentence and spared a jail term. Yesterday’s court ruling disqualified him from office and from parliament. “Since no appeal was filed [against the 26 April conviction]... therefore Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stands disqualified as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora [parliament],” Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry told a packed courtroom. He added: “He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan... the office of the prime minister stands vacant.” The court backdated the dis-
qualification to April 26 , raising questions over decisions Gilani has made in office since then - including the budget. Within hours of the order, the country’s electoral commission announced that Gilani had been disqualified from the National Assembly, with effect from April 26 . Amid the uncertainty, Pakistan’s main stock market fell slightly by close of business yesterday. The ruling effectively dismisses Gilani’s cabinet as well. It is not clear what next steps Gilani may take - or whether his removal means the government will fall.
•Gilani
The party and its allies should have the necessary majority in parliament to elect a successor to Gilani. Senior leaders of the governing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and coalition partners spent much of Tuesday locked in emergency talks with Gilani and President Zardari.
I K I L E A K S founder Julian Assange is seeking political asylum at Ecuador’s London embassy, the country’s foreign minister has said. “Ecuador is studying and analysing the request,” Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in Quito. On June 14, Britain’s Supreme Court dismissed Assange’s bid to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes. He has denied the allegations, saying they are politically motivated. The Supreme Court has given him until 28 June before extradition proceedings can start. Swedish prosecutors want to question him over allega-
tions of rape and sexual assault made by two female former Wikileaks volunteers in mid-2010 but have not filed any charges. Assange, whose Wikileaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, claims the sex was consensual. In a statement, Ecuador’s embassy said he had arrived there yesterday afternoon to seek asylum. “As a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights, with an obligation to review all applications for asylum, we have immediately passed his application on to the relevant department in Quito,” it said.