Post by Focus on Jun 20, 2013 15:06:47 GMT
David Cameron wants to kick radical cleric Abu Qatada out of Britain ‘as quickly as possible’, it emerged today.
The UK Parliament could ratify a treaty with Jordan today which will make it possible to deport the preacher after a decade-long legal battle.
The Prime Minister held talks in Number 10 last night with the King of Jordan, who has already approved the agreement in his country.
The deportation of radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada takes a step closer when the UK parliament ratifies the treaty with Jordan
The prospect of finally removing Qatada from the UK had seemed remote for years.
Human rights judges in Britain and Strasbourg had halted his removal to Jordan on the grounds some of the evidence used against him may have been obtained by torture.
But Home Secretary Theresa May announced in April that she had thrashed out a mutual assistance treaty with Jordan, guaranteeing Qatada the right to a fair trial.
Last month, the cleric unexpectedly volunteered to leave the country as soon as the treaty between the UK and Jordan is ratified by both countries.
Talks : David Cameron last night met Jordan's King Abdullah II for talks in Downing Street
Deal : The UK parliament is expected to ratify the agreement with Jordan as early as today
The agreement has been approved by both houses of the Jordanian parliament and has been signed off by the country's King Abdullah.
Now the UK parliament expected to ratify the treaty as early as today.
Mr Cameron’s official spokesman said: ‘The parliamentary process for ratification of the treaty between the UK and Jordan will be completed very, very shortly.’
He said the issue of kicking Qatada out of Britain was only briefly raised during the meeting with King Abdullah because confidence is now so high that the saga is almost at an end.
‘We have a very clear way forward whichwe are actively perusing to get this individual on a plane out of the UK and back to Jordan.
‘There will remain a legal process that we will seek to expedite as quickly as possible.’
The agreement does not name Qatada directly, but it states that any evidence used to prosecute someone who is to be deported cannot be used 'unless the prosecution in the receiving State proves beyond any doubt that the statement has been provided out of free-will and choice and was not obtained by torture or ill-treatment by the authorities of the receiving State'.
Ministers have been trying for a decade to send Qatada to Jordan, where he is accused of plotting a terrorist atrocity to coincide with the Millennium.
Last week Mrs May revealed the legal battle has cost £1,716,306 in eight years, which includes Qatada's legal aid costs of £647,658.
The Home Office has spent more than £1 million pursuing the case through the courts.
Qatada’s removal was originally approved by the British courts, only to be halted by the European Court of Human Rights last year.
Judges in Strasbourg said he would not get a fair trial because some of the evidence used against him may have been obtained by torture.
Controversially, Mrs May opted not to appeal against this verdict.
Theresa May - "The legal battle has cost £1,716,306 in eight years, which includes Qatada's legal aid costs of £647,658"
Instead, she and her ministers secured personal promises from the Jordanian authorities there would be no use of torture evidence, and began the deportation process again in the UK legal system.
But last November, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission said it was not satisfied with the assurances, and halted Qatada’s removal.
The court said it must reflect the Strasbourg ruling.
That decision was upheld by the Appeal Court and the same court refused permission for the Home Secretary to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.
However the treaty with Jordan is seen as a major breakthrough in finally ending the long and expensive saga.
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) previously heard that a USB stick understood to belong to Qatada's oldest son contained 'jihadist files' made by the ''media wing of al Qaida'.
Qatada is also being investigated by Scotland Yard over suspected extremist material found during the search of his home.
The Metropolitan Police passed on the material to Danish authorities to reportedly investigate a connection with a controversial Islamic publisher.
KEY EVENTS IN ABU QATADA'S BATTLE AGAINST DEPORTATION :
September 16 1993 - The Jordanian father of five claims asylum when he arrives in Britain on a forged passport.
May 1998 - He applies for indefinite leave to remain in Britain.
April 1999 - He is convicted in his absence on terror charges in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment.
February 2001 - He is arrested by anti-terror police over involvement in a plot to bomb Strasbourg Christmas market. Officers find him in possession of £170,000 in cash, including £805 in an envelope marked 'For the mujahedin in Chechnya'.
August 2005 - The preacher is arrested under immigration rules as the Government seeks to deport him to Jordan.
April 2008 - The Court of Appeal rules that deporting him would breach his human rights because evidence used against him in Jordan may have been obtained through torture.
February 18 2009 - In a landmark judgment, five Law Lords unanimously back the Government's policy of removing terror suspects from Britain on the basis of assurances from foreign governments. It is ruled he can be deported to Jordan to face terror charges.
April 18 2012 - Abu Qatada lodges an appeal - potentially delaying his deportation by months.
March 6 2013 - He is returned to jail over fears the terror suspect was trying to communicate with associates, in breach of bail conditions.
March 27 2013 - Court of Appeal admits hate preacher is 'very dangerous' but rules sending him to face a terror trial in Jordan would not be fair.
April 17 2013 - Home Office says it will take its battle to the Supreme Court.
April 23 2013 - Court of Appeal rejects government request to appeal.
I really hope this evil b..tard is removed from this country as soon as possible but we've been here before! - Fx
