SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 29 – As the U.S. Panama Papers prosecution of accountant Richard Gaffey and tax expatriate Harald Joachim von der Goltz moved toward trial, on May 29 disputes about suppressing files seized from the accountant's office and documents obtained from Panama, Germany and elsewhere overseas came to the fore.
Judge Richard M. Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York asked whether the lawyer for initially lead defendant Ramses Owens, sitting on the side of his courtroom, even had the right to make arguments. Owens has not been arraigned or appeared in the case.
Judge Richard M. Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York asked whether the lawyer for initially lead defendant Ramses Owens, sitting on the side of his courtroom, even had the right to make arguments. Owens has not been arraigned or appeared in the case.
From Panama, using J. Iandolo Law of 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, Owens is disputing the use of his mobile phone records obtained under the US - Panama Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Treaty.
Assistant US Attorney Eun Young Choi argued that some of the US' request for information from other governments are covered by diplomatic privilege. She said, however, that information from and about Germany will be made available to the defendants on June 7.
Judge Berman set a motion schedule running into August. The lawyer for von der Goltz said he may file a motion to dismiss the wire fraud and money laundering counts claiming that no money ever move through wires. Inner City Press readers may remember that Patrick Ho was found not guilty on only one of the eight UN bribery charges against him in December 2018, Chad money laundering - because the money moved in a gift box, in cash, and not through wires. Watch this site.
