A court has denied bail to the crew members of US-owned anti-piracy patrol ship who were arrested in October on charges of illegally carrying arms and straying into Indian waters.
The decision by a judge at the High Court in Madras means that the 35 men, including a Scot from Argyll, will not be home for Christmas but remain in a filthy prison in Chennai despite having not been charged with anything.
The only person granted bail was a fisherman accused of supplying provisions to the crew.
The Seaman Guard Ohio crew comprises two Ukrainians and eight Indians. There were 25 security guards on board: 14 Estonians, six British nationals, four Indian nationals and one Ukrainian.
The British guards include special forces veteran Billy Irving, 33, from Connel, Argyll and Mick Dunn, 27, from Ashington, Northumberland, who had served in the Parachute Regiment.
The ship is operated by US-based AdvanFort which provides maritime security for ships against pirates. Hercrew was arrested in Tuticorin in October on charges of the trespassing into Indian waters, illegal possession of arms and ammunition and illegal procurement of diesel.
Tamil Nadu Police said they recovered 31 assault rifles and more than 5000 rounds of ammunition from the vessel.
The crew members were then detained on charges of trespassing into Indian waters, illegal possession of arms and ammunition and unauthorized procurement of diesel.
The 22 foreigners were moved to Puzhal Jail in Chennai.
Vessel operator AdvanFort, a maritime security company based in Washington, confirmed the judge in India had rejected the bail petition for the release of the 35 maritime professionals who have already had two months of confinement with no formal charges.
The company was still awaiting the full reasons for the decision to deny the men Christmas at home.
AdvanFort spokesman Dave Yonkman said: “Today’s ruling is outrageous and an affront to the basic standards of justice in a country that calls itself the largest democracy in the world.”
He said the “mystifying investigation” by Indian authorities has dragged on for two months already while AdvanFort’s seamen and maritime security contractors continued to languish in despicable and barbaric conditions.
“Throughout their careers and this ordeal, these men have admirably adhered to the highest standards of professional conduct and integrity. AdvanFort thanks their loved ones for their patience and understanding as we now redouble our efforts in continuing to work around-the-clock, 24/7 to secure their release.”
He added that nine lawyers were now working to secure the men’s release.
So they are armed mercenaries, carrying weapons and ammunition who entered port in India. what do people think would have happened if the same ship had tied up in port in Europe? Something very similar I would wager.
The problem with the Ohio crew is the same problem the Farajallahs have always had. They don’t care about their crews, they don’t care about their employees, they don’t care about their vendors. If the Farajallahs had any money or any intelligence they would’ve listen to us early on, hired John Cartner, and the lads would’ve been home within 30 days. But we go back to the original problem AdvanFort is not a real company in the sense that it doesn’t have any Business acumen at all. The father and son team have left bills all over the world; this is the same situation that they created in Eritrea with the crews of the Texas and the Alaska, they spent seven months in prison while Sam and Ahmed did nothing. Eritrea still has possession of the Texas and the Alaska. And the crews ended up spending seven months in prison all because Sam refuses to pay anyone. This BS about the “Dubai Billionaire” is just that BS. How can a man lay off his entire US corporate crew, never pay them, never pay his crews, there are several lawsuits being initiated by the US Corporate employees that were illegally laid off, against Ahmed Farajallah, Sam Farajallah and Raquel Paulo, personally, and their corporations. This new charging document claiming William Watson had anything to do with this is more BS, it was Ahmed who armed the Ohio with illegal weapons, it was Ahmed who arranged for the illegal fuel, it was Ahmed who ordered the Ohio into Indian waters. All operations for the bogus company were run out of Manilla or Dubai, so we had no idea in the US what the Ohio was involved in.
The smart move would be for the families of the crews to deal directly with the Indian government, citing criminality with the Farajallahs alone!
There will be no relief from the US side, Raquel Paulo managed to start her dismantling of the company months ago, after sabotaging most of us at AdvanFort she has managed to hire her favorites to replace the guys that were turning the Corp around. Funny, how things work out, it only took them a month to tank the company.
AdvanFort closed its doors in Herndon yesterday.
Ric Hedlund
Director of Port Security Emeritus