In a significant development, the Union Government has granted permission to the Indian Embassy in Yemen to transfer the pre-negotiation funds through its bank account to its lawyer in Yemen for initiating discussions on the release of Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Yemeni national Tala Abdo Mahdi in 2017.

According to the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, the pre-negotiation amount is estimated as 40,000 US dollars (Rs 33.38 lakh) apart from the other expenses. After collecting the money, it will be transferred through the Ministry of External Affairs to the Indian Embassy in Sanaa.

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The pre-negotiation discussions will be conducted by a Yemeni lawyer, who was appointed by the Indian Embassy and with the help of two Indian Embassy officers along with Nimisha Priya’s mother Prema Kumari and Samuel Jerrome, a member of the Action Council.

The Indian Embassy has informed the Action Council office bearers that they need to arrange the pre-negotiation money within one week.

“Nimisha’s mother and Samuel Jerrome have been staying in Yemen for the last two months. We have to collect money for their expenses too,” said Babu John, one of the Action Council members.

The amount of blood money can be decided only after the first round of pre-negotiation talks, Babu John said.

“As the discussion happens with the knowledge and leadership of the Indian Embassy, they will inform us of the amount and other details after the discussion. However, the first step is to collect the money and initiate the first round of negotiation,” he said.