Defence urges judge to hold firm on evidence ruling
US prosecutors and defence attorneys agree the fate of al Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui could hinge on whether a federal judge sticks to her ruling that the government contaminated half its case by coaching witnesses and lying to the defence.
Defence lawyers argued yesterday that US District Judge Leonie Brinkema was fully justified in concluding that evidence about US aviation security was tainted beyond repair by the misconduct of a federal lawyer and cannot be used in Moussaoui’s sentencing trial in Alexandria, Virginia.
