KOCHI: In a major development that could permanently seal the fate of the Enrica Lexie case, the owner of the fishing boat involved in the firing incident on Wednesday agreed to settle the issue with the Republic of Italy. The Italian team has offered `17-lakh compensation to Freddy, owner of the fishing boat St Antony and prime witness in the case.The Republic of Italy, which tactically settled the compensation claims with the kin of the victims of the Enrica Lexie firing episode, is now trying for a settlement ‘deal’ with Freddy.“There is a proposal to arrive at a settlement with the Italian Government. Negotiations are going on. Italian representatives met us to discuss an out-of-court settlement. They offered a compensation of `17 lakh to Freddy and we agreed,” advocate Raja Vijaya Raghavan, Freddy’s counsel, told Express. The owners of Enrica Lexie had already furnished a bank guarantee of `10 lakh against the compensation claim of `72.6 lakh, as directed by the Kerala High Court. The Enrica Lexie episode had virtually shattered the livelihood of Freddy. He has not been able to use his boat after the incident. “If the family members of the slain fishermen can settle the issue, why cannot I? I am ready for a settlement, I have to take care of my family. I am not interested in going ahead with the case and its proceedings. The agreement in this regard will be signed on May 2,” Freddy said. “As the fishing boat is in a dilapidated state, it cannot be used for fishing purposes,” he pointed out. As in the case of compensation claims of the victims’ kin, the Italian officials have insisted on an agreement stating that he would not proceed with legal action.“With the High Court accepting the out-of-court settlement by the victims’ kin, a major portion of the case is over. “We want to end the legal tangle of criminal cases against our marines. That is why we are planning to settle the compensation issue with Freddy,” Gabriyela, who handles the legal proceedings for the Italian team, said. However, Director General of Prosecutions T Asaf Ali hoped that the settlement would not dilute the criminal case against the marines.“Freddy is only a witness. Even if he turns hostile, we have a good chance of winning with the help of substantial evidence. Witness can lie but circumstances cannot,” he said.Foreseeing the issue, the police are planning to record Freddy’s statement before the Magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.
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