A federal judge in the United States has said the life sentence handed to a Somali pirate will not be vacated.
The pirate was convicted of attacking a U.S. Navy vessel off the coast of the Horn of Africa nation in 2010.
The Norfolk judge issued his ruling on Friday when he struck out the claim by Mohamed Abdi Jama that an “ineffective and incompetent” lawyer had represented him in court.
In 2016, Jama was sentenced to life imprisonment. Last year, he filed a motion challenging the sentence claiming “ineffective assistance” by his counsel.
In his application, Jama said that his lawyer did not grasp the facts and laws needed to prove that he committed piracy as accused.
Furthermore, the Somali says his lawyer was unable to advise him about plea deals. The lawyer’s inability to neither negotiate nor explain plea offers was also an issue.
His lawyer advised him to reject a 30-year sentence but failed to advise him of the presence of a 25-year offer for pleading guilty.