US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI840

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 000840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, IN, PO, Counter-Terrorism 
SUBJECT: ABU SALEM EXTRADITION UPDATE 
 
Classified By: Polcouns Geoff Pyatt.  Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) In a February 1 conversation with Poloff, Portuguese 
DCM Frederico Nascimento confirmed recent Indian press 
reports stating that his country's Supreme Court had rendered 
a decision to permit the extradition of Abu Salem to India. 
He noted that this decision allows the extradition of Salem 
to India for trial in major offenses, not only minor ones as 
the court had previously decided.  Nascimento also confirmed 
that Salem could appeal the decision to the Constitutional 
Court, but that if he did not take this step, or if it 
failed, the CBI would be free to formally approach Portugal 
for extradition.  A CBI spokesperson told the press that the 
law enforcement agency was awaiting instructions from 
Portugal before sending a team there to escort Salem to 
Mumbai.  Nascimento declined to be drawn out on what the next 
steps in this process might be. 
 
2.  (SBU) Abu Salem is wanted in India for suspected 
involvement in more than 57 cases, including serial bomb 
blasts that that killed nearly 300 people in 1993 in Mumbai. 
Several journalists have commented to us that the Mumbai 
police is likely to have difficulty proving Salem's 
involvement in many of the cases registered against him. 
However, press sources close to the Mumbai police claim that 
the police is in possession of an audio recording of a 
conversation between Salem and other individuals discussing 
the conspiracy.  Mumbai law enforcement officials reportedly 
believe that an interrogation of Salem could yield new 
information on links between prominent Indian personalities 
and the Indian underworld, particularly in Mumbai. 
 
3.  (C) Dr. Ajai Sahni, Director of the Delhi-based Institute 
for Conflict Management, predicted that the extradition of 
Salem to India would have little effect on GOI efforts in the 
war on terrorism.  Observing that the record of judicial 
incompetence over the last several years in cases against 
other notorious gangsters and terrorists extradited to India 
has not translated into convictions, Sahni also questioned 
whether the GOI has the forensic and investigative abilities 
to effectively try Salem with the evidence they possess. 
Nonetheless, because of Salem's high profile past, our 
collaboration with Indian and Portuguese authorities in 
bringing him to justice is an important bellwether of our CT 
partnership with the GOI. 
MULFORD