First judgment on blood diamond case in Gujarat

In the first conviction of its kind, the Chief Court in Surat on Thursday sentenced two foreign nationals to four years imprisonment and ordered them to pay a fine of Rs1 lakh, in a case related to blood diamonds. The accused have decided to challenge the verdict at a higher court.

Justice VG Trivedi found Robai Hussain, a Guyana national and Yusuf Ossley, a resident of Lebanon, guilty for possessing blood diamonds. Both deposited fines in the court, late on Thursday evening.

"Such crimes have an impact on the economy and therefore affect the lives of the common man directly and/or indirectly. Both accused have breached the law and it was necessary to punish them," Justice Trivedi observed, while passing the judgment.

Trivedi finally pronounced the verdict after hearing 13 witnesses and verifying 67 evidences in the case. The court has ordered auction of the diamonds also.