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| Indian Diplomat Facing Charges Is Moved to U.N. Post | Indian Diplomat Facing Charges Is Moved to U.N. Post |
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| Indian officials said Saturday they had transferred a diplomat who is facing charges in the United States to a job with India’s United Nations delegation, a position that could protect her from charges that she was underpaying a housekeeper. | Indian officials said Saturday they had transferred a diplomat who is facing charges in the United States to a job with India’s United Nations delegation, a position that could protect her from charges that she was underpaying a housekeeper. |
| The diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, 39, the deputy consul general in New York, has been at the center of a heated battle between the U.S. and India since she was accused of submitting false documents to obtain a work visa for the housekeeper. Indian officials say she was arrested and handcuffed as she left her daughter at school, and other accounts say she was strip-searched by the authorities, reports that have drawn fierce condemnation in India. | The diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, 39, the deputy consul general in New York, has been at the center of a heated battle between the U.S. and India since she was accused of submitting false documents to obtain a work visa for the housekeeper. Indian officials say she was arrested and handcuffed as she left her daughter at school, and other accounts say she was strip-searched by the authorities, reports that have drawn fierce condemnation in India. |
| The Indian ambassador to the United Nations, Asoke Mukherji, wrote Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telling him of Ms. Khobragade’s transfer. | The Indian ambassador to the United Nations, Asoke Mukherji, wrote Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telling him of Ms. Khobragade’s transfer. |
| Ms. Khobragade was arrested Dec. 12 and released on $250,000 bail. She pleaded not guilty to charges of visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her housekeeper, also an Indian. | Ms. Khobragade was arrested Dec. 12 and released on $250,000 bail. She pleaded not guilty to charges of visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her housekeeper, also an Indian. |
| A position with the U.N. would afford Ms. Khobragade more diplomatic protection from prosecution in the U.S., although it was unclear whether the U.S. State Department would approve her transfer. | A position with the U.N. would afford Ms. Khobragade more diplomatic protection from prosecution in the U.S., although it was unclear whether the U.S. State Department would approve her transfer. |
| The decision to move Ms. Khobragade to the United Nations post came after American officials vigorously defended their handling of the matter amid a firestorm of criticism from Indian politicians and in its media. Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Wednesday that Ms. Khobragade “clearly tried to evade U.S. law designed to protect from exploitation the domestic employees of diplomats and consular officers.” | |
| Mr. Mukherji, the ambassador, said Ms. Khobragade’s new position would give her protection from arrest. | Mr. Mukherji, the ambassador, said Ms. Khobragade’s new position would give her protection from arrest. |
| “We have welcomed her into our team here at the U.N. — I have had a meeting with her,” Mr. Mukherji said. “As soon as she is accredited, we hope she will be able to discharge her responsibilities.” | “We have welcomed her into our team here at the U.N. — I have had a meeting with her,” Mr. Mukherji said. “As soon as she is accredited, we hope she will be able to discharge her responsibilities.” |
| Mr. Bharara said India’s focus on Ms. Khobragade’s plight obscured the treatment of the alleged victim in the case. Prosecutors say the diplomat forced the housekeeper to work longer hours than agreed to and that she was paid far less than the minimum wage. | Mr. Bharara said India’s focus on Ms. Khobragade’s plight obscured the treatment of the alleged victim in the case. Prosecutors say the diplomat forced the housekeeper to work longer hours than agreed to and that she was paid far less than the minimum wage. |