MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
John Cheek owners reject reports of guilty plea
The Falkland Island owners of the arrested fishing vessel ?John Cheek' today issued a press release indicating their indignant rebuttal of reports from the Argentine press that they had been fined after pleading guilty to charges of illegal fishing.
The release begins "Petrel Trawling Ltd. announce that the F/v John Cheek has been released by the Argentine authorities following the ?without prejudice' payment of an administrative penalty.
In a separate letter to Mercopress, Mrs Jan. Cheek, who is a director of the company and widow of the long-serving member of the Falkland Island Legislative Council after whom the vessel was named, stated that not only had Petrel Trawling not pleaded guilty, but there had been no court case.
Mrs. Cheek went on to say that the company had paid the demanded ?administrative penalty' because otherwise it was due to increase substantially within a very short period. However, this payment was accompanied by a letter stating that it was being made ?without prejudice'.
In the concluding paragraph of the release, the company re-state what has been their constant position since the vessel was arrested on February 20th.
The company confirms that at the time of the seizure of the vessel by an Argentine coastguard vessel it was operating over half a mile outside the Argentine 200 mile limit according to the advice then current and based on the co-ordinates issued from the UK Hydrographic Office through the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department."
Mrs Cheek also confirmed that the F/V ?John Cheek' sailed from Comodoro Rivadavia at about 9 o'clock on the evening of Friday, April 7th. John Fowler (Mercopress) Stanley
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