KATHMANDU: French national Charles Sobhraj, dubbed the “Bikini Killer” over a string of grisly deaths in the 1970s, has said he is confident Nepal’s highest court will overturn his life sentence.
“Many of the judges and police officers know this is a false case,” Sobhraj told AFP on Tuesday in the prison visiting room before guards cut short the interview.
Sobhraj has been linked to a series of murders of young female backpackers in the 1970s and was arrested at a casino in Nepal in 2003. He was found guilty of killing US citizen Connie Joe Brozich on the outskirts of Kathmandu in 1975.
The 2004 conviction for Brozich’s death rested largely on evidence that Sobhraj and his lawyers claim was fabricated.
Sobhraj’s appeal hearing was originally slated for Wednesday but was postponed due to a heavy caseload.
“The court only got through three of 12 cases today (Wednesday), said Rajaram Dhakal, one of the defence lawyers.
The Supeme Court will decide on Thursday when the rescheduled appeal hearing will take place, Dhakal said.
Sobhraj was found guilty after handwriting analysts matched a signature on hotel registration cards from 1975 with his.
“We’re going to ask the prosecutors to bring the original guest registration cards, as they were unable to produce them at previous trials,” said Rajaram Dhakal, one of the defence lawyers.
“We’re confident that Sobhraj will be released because the reliability of the evidence has been raised by the Supreme Court itself during the admission hearing in July,” Dhakal said.
In addition, his lawyers have asked that the police inspector who led the investigation in 1975 be brought to the Supreme Court for questioning.
“There has been no cross-examination of the evidence supplied by Chandra Bahadur Rai, and we will demand that Rai be present in court to get his statement,” the lawyer said.
Looking well-muscled and younger than his 63 years, the martial arts and self-taught legal expert Sobhraj believed recent political changes in Nepal could work in his favour.
Nepal’s King Gyanendra was forced in April to end 14 months of direct rule and restore parliament after mass protests spearheaded by political parties and Maoist rebels.
“The scenario has changed and in recent (Court appeal) cases, the trend has changed. Quite a few people have been acquitted — more than before,” Sobhraj said.—AFP
