The last time we wrote about the bizarre case of Meshael Alayban, the Saudi Princess accused of enslaving her Kenyan housekeeper, we quoted Alayban's attorney, who claimed she was innocent, and that the facts would ultimately vindicate her.
The attorney, Paul S. Meyer, Matt Coker reported on July 12, characterized the entire incident as an employment dispute over hours and wages, releasing a written statement saying “We … expect that the truth will resolve this matter.”
Someone give that man a Nostradamus award: in a surprise press conference today, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas dismissed all charges against Alayban, citing lack of evidence.
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According to Alayban's attorneys, her accuser was a liar who made up the allegations to win citizenship. Rackauckas, for his part, stated today that his office had done its best to pursue what initially appeared to be a very convincing case.
“The allegations were strong and we had reasons to believe they were true,'' he said. “And we were certainly dealing with a family who could leave the jurisdiction in a short time so I think bringing the case under the circumstances was the right thing to do at the time. It did appear the evidence corroborated [the claims], but as we looked deeper into it it didn't.''
In its report today, City News Service quoted the accuser's lawyer, Steve Baric, who denied any allegation that his client had made up her story, expressing disappointment in Rackauckas' decision to drop the case. “To say this is about her getting a visa is ridiculous,'' Baric said “We're obviously disappointed. We have a lot of respect for the district attorney and his commitment to protect victims of human trafficking.''
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Award-winning investigative journalist Nick Schou is Editor of OC Weekly. He is the author of Kill the Messenger: How the CIA’s Crack Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb (Nation Books 2006), which provided the basis for the 2014 Focus Features release starring Jeremy Renner and the L.A. Times-bestseller Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love’s Quest to bring Peace, Love and Acid to the World, (Thomas Dunne 2009). He is also the author of The Weed Runners (2013) and Spooked: How the CIA Manipulates the Media and Hoodwinks Hollywood (2016).