Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Bulletin: Hassan Diab; France; Significant setback in French courts: The French Court of Appeal has rejected the 62-year-old's application to have crucial handwriting and intelligence evidence removed from the prosecution's case against him."..."The handwriting analysis was key to Diab's extradition and the subject of a bitter dispute at the extradition hearing. Three internationally renowned handwriting experts hired to testify at the extradition hearing by Diab's lawyer, Donald Bayne, denounced the French analysis as incompetent. It compared a signature on a hotel registration card with a sample of Diab's handwriting provided to the French by the University of Syracuse, where Diab studied. Bayne told the Citizen he was "disappointed" that the French legal system sees the handwriting analysis and unsourced intelligence as credible evidence."Every credible handwriting expert has said the handwriting opinion is unreliable," he said.""


STORY: "French court rejects Diab appeal to have key evidence tossed," by reporter Christopher Cobb, published by the Ottawa Citizen on December 29, 2015.
 


PHOTO CAPTION:  "Hassan Diab has been held in prison in France since his November 2014 extradition for a decades-old terrorism case." 



GIST: "Ottawa academic Hassan Diab, currently in a Paris prison awaiting trial for terrorism-related killings, has suffered a significant legal setback. The French Court of Appeal has rejected the 62-year-old’s application to have crucial handwriting and intelligence evidence removed from the prosecution’s case against him. The Lebanon-born Canadian was extradited to France at the French government’s request in November 2014. He is accused of planting a bomb that killed four people outside a Paris synagogue in October 1980. At least 40 others inside and outside the Rue Copernic synagogue were injured in the blast. Since his arrest by the RCMP in November 2008, the father of four has maintained his innocence and says he was not in Paris at the time of the bomb attack.
French authorities claim the bombers used false travel documents to enter and exit France. An Ottawa extradition judge ordered Diab deported in the summer of 2011. After a series of failed appeals — including a refusal by the Supreme Court to review his case — he was flown to Paris, jailed and charged. Canadian federal prosecutors acting for the French government withdrew the intelligence evidence at the extradition hearing when it became clear that its source was unknown and the French could not prove that it hadn’t been gleaned from torture. That same evidence now will be used against Diab at his trial, which is expected during 2016. The handwriting analysis was key to Diab’s extradition and the subject of a bitter dispute at the extradition hearing. Three internationally renowned handwriting experts hired to testify at the extradition hearing by Diab’s lawyer, Donald Bayne, denounced the French analysis as incompetent. It compared a signature on a hotel registration card with a sample of Diab’s handwriting provided to the French by the University of Syracuse, where Diab studied. Bayne told the Citizen he was “disappointed” that the French legal system sees the handwriting analysis and unsourced intelligence as credible evidence.“Every credible handwriting expert has said the handwriting opinion is unreliable,” he said."

The entire story can be found at:

 https://www.google.com/search?as_q="hassan+diab"&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=d&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
 
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
 
 http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
 
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html

Harold Levy: Publisher;  The Charles Smith Blog.