20 March 2018
Home Office interpreters 'reluctant to travel to NI'
The case involves a Vietnamese man, Hung Van
Nguyen, who has been in prison on remand for almost six months, after his
arrest over alleged drug offences.
The prosecution has stalled while the
authorities try to establish if he is a victim of human trafficking.
A scheduled Home Office with him last week
had to be cancelled.
[…]
'Unsatisfactory'
The reason given in court was that the Home Office
only uses its own approved Vietnamese interpreters, "who are reluctant to
travel to Northern Ireland".
A defence lawyer criticised the position Mr Nguyen
has been left in, saying his client has been in custody for a considerable
period of time, during which there had been very little progress on his case.
The lawyer also pointed out that a Vietnamese
interpreter had attended every hearing of the case in person, telling the court
there had been no issue with his work.
A prosecution lawyer said the situation was
"most unsatisfactory", but said prosecutors were bound by the human
trafficking protocol.
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