US Embassy Paid For Khobragade Maid’s Family’s Air Tickets

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Sangeeta Richard’s allegations led to diplomat Devyani Khobragade’s arrest in the US.

NEW DELHI – Many USconsular staff in India handed intheir identity cards on Monday,ending the special privileges enjoyedby them even as it emergedthat the US embassy paid for thetickets of the family of the abscondingmaid of Indian diplomatDevyani Khobragade, whosearrest triggered a diplomatic rowbetween the two countries.The tickets for the maid SangeetaRichard’s husband Philip andtheir two children – Jennifer andJatin – were issued by the officialtravel agency of the US embassyand were exempt from service taxas is the norm for diplomatic missions,sources said.India’s deadline for the returnof identity cards of US officialsended on Monday. The USauthorities have asked for moretime.Once the new cards are issued,consular officials won’t beable to claim immunity for anymajor crimes. Though by law,consular officials are entitled forlesser immunity as enshrined bythe Vienna Convention on ConsularMatters, New Delhi was veryliberal in granting them immunityat par with those on diplomaticduty. “Though there were violationsin the past by the US consularofficials, we never ever arrestedany. That’s going to change”, saida senior government official.Its embassy in New Delhiapart, US has consulates in Mumbai,Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad.The Indian governmenthas already ended the special privilegesof the US diplomats andconsular officials at Indian airports.India has also asked for salarydetails of staff at US missionsand salary received by US citizens,which will be tested as per Indiantax laws.Meanwhile, Khobragade alsoreceived her accreditation to theIndian permanent mission to theUnited Nations on Monday, atransfer that is expected to granther full diplomatic immunity fromfurther prosecution and arrest.Khobragade also was grantedexemption from appearing ata pre-trials service on Monday.This, however, doesn’t exempther from all personal appearancesin court, where she has to appearwhen scheduled, her lawyer said.