An update on the Al-Turki case from the Denver Post, with thanks to Two Stellas.
Despite strenuous objections from prosecutors, a federal judge set bail Thursday for a Saudi Arabian man who is accused of raping his housekeeper and holding her as a virtual slave in his Aurora home.
U.S. District Judge Walker Miller set bail at $400,000, which is the amount the Saudi government has put up so Homaidan Al-Turki can bond out on related charges in state court. He will have to post $400,000 bail for each case.
“It was a close call, given the serious nature of the charges and the fact that he is a foreign national,” Miller said. “We are an open society, and it’s not too hard to get out of here.”
Miller said that while the crimes were serious, the evidence presented thus far did not weigh heavily against setting bail. Also, Al-Turki had received extraordinary support from his community and academic peers. The decision overturned a ruling issued this month by a federal magistrate who denied bail in the case…