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New York: Devyani Khobragade's lawyer today said
US authorities goofed up in the investigation and
arrest of the Indian diplomat on charges of visa
fraud as a federal agent made a "serious" mistake i
reading the paperwork submitted regarding her
domestic help's salary.
Daniel Arshack, Ms Khobragade's lawyer, said Mark
Smith, the Diplomatic Security Services agent
handled the investigation and arrest of Ms
Khobragade and drew up and swore to the accuracy
of the formal complaint in the case.
Mr Smith "simply made an error in reading the
DS-160 form which supported the visa application
for the domestic worker, Sangeeta Richard," Mr
Arshack told PTI.
"He erroneously and disastrously believed that the
USD 4,500 per month salary entry on the form was
Richard's expected salary when, in fact, it was
clearly a reporting of the base salary to be earned
by the employer, Khobragade, in the US," he said.
The lawyer said Ms Khobagrade's base salary figure
of USD 4,500 per month was required and
appropriately reported on the DS-160 form, which is
the online non-immigrant visa application required
to be submitted by those seeking US visas.
It was submitted so that US Embassy officials in
New Delhi could determine that Ms Khobragade
would be earning enough money to afford to pay M
Richard the USD 1,560 per month (9.75$/hour for 4
hours a week) which had been agreed to according
to the contract between two.
"Somebody who messes up on the paperwork and
causes a terrible thing to occur is very, very
serious," Mr Arshack said.
Meanwhile, UN spokeswoman Morana Song
confirmed Ms Khobragade's accreditation to the
United Nations headquarters in New York, saying,
"The United Nations has received notification to
register Ms Khobragade as a member of the
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations."
"We can confirm that the United Nations has
processed this request as per its standard
procedures," she said.
Ms Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on
charges of making false declarations in a visa
application for her housekeeper. She was released
on a USD 250,000 bond after being charged with
visa fraud.
Subsequent revelations that she was strip-searched
and held with criminals triggered a row between
New Delhi and Washington.
US authorities goofed up in the investigation and
arrest of the Indian diplomat on charges of visa
fraud as a federal agent made a "serious" mistake i
reading the paperwork submitted regarding her
domestic help's salary.
Daniel Arshack, Ms Khobragade's lawyer, said Mark
Smith, the Diplomatic Security Services agent
handled the investigation and arrest of Ms
Khobragade and drew up and swore to the accuracy
of the formal complaint in the case.
Mr Smith "simply made an error in reading the
DS-160 form which supported the visa application
for the domestic worker, Sangeeta Richard," Mr
Arshack told PTI.
"He erroneously and disastrously believed that the
USD 4,500 per month salary entry on the form was
Richard's expected salary when, in fact, it was
clearly a reporting of the base salary to be earned
by the employer, Khobragade, in the US," he said.
The lawyer said Ms Khobagrade's base salary figure
of USD 4,500 per month was required and
appropriately reported on the DS-160 form, which is
the online non-immigrant visa application required
to be submitted by those seeking US visas.
It was submitted so that US Embassy officials in
New Delhi could determine that Ms Khobragade
would be earning enough money to afford to pay M
Richard the USD 1,560 per month (9.75$/hour for 4
hours a week) which had been agreed to according
to the contract between two.
"Somebody who messes up on the paperwork and
causes a terrible thing to occur is very, very
serious," Mr Arshack said.
Meanwhile, UN spokeswoman Morana Song
confirmed Ms Khobragade's accreditation to the
United Nations headquarters in New York, saying,
"The United Nations has received notification to
register Ms Khobragade as a member of the
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations."
"We can confirm that the United Nations has
processed this request as per its standard
procedures," she said.
Ms Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on
charges of making false declarations in a visa
application for her housekeeper. She was released
on a USD 250,000 bond after being charged with
visa fraud.
Subsequent revelations that she was strip-searched
and held with criminals triggered a row between
New Delhi and Washington.
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