Rape-accused French diplomat thanks judiciary for bail

Bangalore, Oct 18: A day after the Karnataka High Court granted conditional bail to him, French

Pascal Mazurier, facing charges of raping his minor daughter, on Thursday thanked the country's judiciary saying he has the greatest belief in the system.

"I thank the Indian Judiciary for granting me bail. I have the greatest belief in the Judicial system and I’'ll remain at the disposal of the authorities until the end of the procedure," Mazurier, Consular Attache to the Consulate General of France here, said in a statement after being released on bail.

"I have always claimed my innocence and I'm confident the truth will come out," said Mazurier, who was in judicial custody for about three months since his arrest on Jun 19 following a complaint by his wife Suja Jones that he raped their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

The High Court had on Wednesday granted him conditional bail, observing that circumstantial evidence did not "specify" that he had committed the offence. The country had directed him to surrender his passport, not to leave the country and not to destroy evidence or influence the witnesses.

PTI