Arfan Bhatti, who’s been in detention since the 16th of May, has been detained for four more weeks, with a further ban on correspondence and visits.
The detention is in line with prosecution requests. Arfan Bhatti wasn’t present during the detention hearing in Oslo district court. The court assumes that the risk of deportation is still high.
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‘Bhatti knows what traces he has left, and which witnesses he should contact to try to influence their testimonies. If he’s released, there is a danger that victims will refuse to give evidence in the case, due to his attempting to influence evidence given by others involved, as well as knowing other possible evidence in the case, which the police haven’t yet secured’, stated the ruling.
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Furthermore, the district court judge, Åsa Gjesdal Bech, wrote that much investigation remains ahead of prosecutors and police, including analysis of teledata, which will involve extensive work.
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‘The explanations given to the police so far are incomplete, and the police, therefore, have to undergo a number of technical investigations of evidence to advance the case,’ wrote Bech.
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It also appears that the police are seeking external assistance to investigate apparently deleted material, which will take more time.
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After being held in solitary confinement in Illa Prison, Bhatti has now been transferred to Bergen Prison. His latest arrest in May was on charges of illegal dealing in weapons. Bhatti believes that the arrest was politically motivated and has denied any connection to the matter.
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© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
