PASSPORT DRAMA
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MARGAO: The Goa police has no clue whether Brazilian player Elano Blumer has left the country with the men in khaki not receiving any information from the Immigration authorities so far, even as Elano’s lawyer Adv Rajiv Gomes said the player has not committed any offense by leaving the country.
A day after the Margao police alerted the Immigration authorities to stop Elano from leaving the country on grounds that he had failed to deposit his passport in the Dattaraj Salgaocar assault case, Margao Sub-divisional Police officer, DySP Dinraj Govekar said the police has no information whatsoever whether Elano has left the country or not. “The police has not received any information from the Immigration authorities till date. If Elano has left the country despite the fact that the police had urged him to deposit his passport, we will follow the due process of law,” DySP Govekar said.
He said the police might question the local surety furnished by Elano if the player has left the country.
Margao police station in-charge, PI CL Patil said the police will write to the Immigration authorities in a day or two whether Elano has left the country or not. “So far, we have no information on Elano’s whereabouts. Let us wait for the information from the Immigration authorities,” he said.
Elano’s lawyer, Adv Rajiv Gomes said he has reliable information that Elano has left the country, but hastened to question why the police had alerted the immigration authorities to stop his client from leaving the country. “There was no court order directing Elano not to leave the country or to surrender his passport. I fail to understand why the police had gone overboard to insist that Elano should deposit the passport,” Adv Gomes said.
Replying to a question, Adv Gomes said that he has information that Elano is not presently holed up in the country and has left the country’s shores on Monday itself.
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Elano will attend
the trial if court
summons: lawyer
MARGAO: Brazilian footballer Elano Blumer’s lawyer, Adv Rajiv Gomes has said that his client will certainly attend the trial if the Court issues him the summons, but made it very clear that the presence of an accused is not required in a summons triable case.
“In the Anil Salgaocar case, the Court had made it clear that the presence of an accused is not required in a summons triable case. The same principle will be made applicable to my client as well if the police prefers to charge sheet the case in the court”, Adv Gomes said.
He made it very clear that Elano has not fled from the country, but will face trial as and when the police files the charge sheet. “The police have given an impression that Elano has left the country by violating the condition to surrender his passport. But, the Court did not impose any such condition while ordering the police to release him on bail”, Adv Gomes said.
Moreover, he said that Elano presence will not be required during the trial since the case in question relates to summons triable as was ruled by the Court in the Anil Salgaocar case
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GOA POLICE DEFENDS
ITS DECISION TO
ALERT IMMIGRATION
>> See pg 6
