By John Hansen, Jakob Nielsen & Sofie Herschend

The Danish weapons smuggler Niels Holck, who dropped four tons of weaponry into Purulia in West Bengal in 1995, is prepared to be called to account by an Indian court – as long as it is not in India.

Holck’s offer has been transmitted to the Indian government through private channels in the past 14 days. The offer is the culmination of hitherto secret diplomatic efforts over the past year by Holck and his counsel Tyge Trier to help solve the Indo-Danish crisis.

The crisis developed in June last year when Denmark’s Eastern High Court rejected a call to extradite Holck to face charges in a Kolkata court. The High Court decision followed a Municipal Court decision which also rejected India’s calls for Holck’s extradition.

A subsequent decision by the Danish attorney general not to appeal the High Court decision to the Supreme Court ended the case in the Danish courts, and prevented any further attempts to have Holck extradited.

India’s reaction was to freeze relations with Denmark, in what has developed into an increasingly vehement bilateral crisis.

Holck has now told Politiken that over the past year he has been involved in secret diplomatic efforts to appease the Indian government.

“This has taken place through different channels, both diplomatic and business channels. I initially offered India that I was prepared to be interrogated, and most recently to let an Indian court hear the case against me on neutral ground,” Holck says.

Why?

“If the Indians had accepted the decision, I would probably have stopped there. The most important thing for me is to try and resolve the conflict,” Holck says.

Have the Danish government or authorities been involved?

“That is something I cannot divulge at the moment as those involved have committed themselves to confidentiality. But the message that I am ready to appear in an Indian court on neutral ground has been communicated to the Indian government,” Holck says.

According to Politiken’s information, communication has taken place through a private organisation versed in Indian affairs, and through India’s Ambassador to Denmark Ashok Attri who has presented the offer to the Indian home affairs minister in New Delhi.

India has not responded to Holck’s offer, but on Monday, the Indian government said it would ‘increase pressure’ on Denmark and ‘examine different options’ to move the case forward – including having an Indian court sit in the Indian embassy in Copenhagen.

“It is strange that the Indian government has chosen to disclose elements of confidential negotiations which we have envisaged leading up to a court case. It could suggest an attempt to sabotage a solution,” Holck says.

According to the Times of India, the proposal to have a court convene in the Indian embassy in Copenhagen would “probably be put to the Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal during his upcoming visit to India”.

Søvndal, however, tells Politiken that he does not have a visit to India in his diary.

“But I am ready to pack my bags, if that can help. This conflict is inopportune for both Denmark and India, and I will do whatever I can to resolve it,” Søvndal says.

Neither Søvndal, nor Justice Minister Morten Bødskov are prepared to comment on the proposal.

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