Green Party investigates Lubna Speitan over court records

The Green Party says it is investigating member Lubna Speitan after US court records showed she offered to testify for Minh Quang Pham, who was later sentenced in the United States for supporting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The party has not reported findings or given a timetable for its internal process. The records describe Speitan as a close friend of Pham and say she was willing to testify for his defence in 2015. She could not travel to the United States because of a medical condition, according to the documents. They do not establish that she knew of his criminal activity when they were friends. In a 2016 letter to the judge, Speitan praised Pham in strongly admiring terms and asked the court to dismiss his case. She wrote that he was among the kindest and most sincere people she had known. Reports differ on whether Pham received a 40-year or 44-year sentence. They agree that he pleaded guilty to supporting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and was sentenced in the United States in 2016. He denied planning a suicide attack at Heathrow Airport. The Green Party said Speitan holds no party position beyond membership and that it takes allegations seriously.