16 February 2006
The High Court will tomorrow hear an application in respect to Lotfi Raissi, the man falsely accused of being involved in the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Mr Raissi was successfully defended by Tuckers partner Richard Egan.
Today's action is being brought by our specialist police actions department, lead by Jules Carey.
Lotfi Raissi’s hearing is due to be heard in the Administrative Court and is an Application for leave to proceed to Judicial Review against the Secretary of States decision. The Secretary of State refused the applciation of Lotfi Raissi to be compensated under the Home Secretary’s ex-gratia payment scheme on the basis, primarily that that scheme was set up to compensate victims who have suffered miscarriages of justice in connection with charges brought against them within the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The Home Secretary’s point is that Mr Raissi faced Extradition proceedings which concerned alleged criminal offences on foreign soil and that in the circumstances, the Home Secretary was not prepared to compensate people who faced miscarriages of justice in Extradition proceedings in the same way as he is prepared to compensate people who have suffered such injustices in connection with domestic criminal proceedings. The Application in essence argues that the distinction the Home Secretary is making is technical, unreasonable and unjust and that leave for Judicial Review should be allowed so that the Home Secretary can be challenged on this point of law.