The Verdict: Special Pre-emption

Tonight's episode of The Verdict had a segment planned on a discussion of the 13 boxes removed by Conrad Black back in May 2005, but it was pre-empted, and should be shown tomorrow. Instead, two of today's trial events were briefly mentioned: the release of those boxes and Csr. Genson's mistrial motion.

Here's a CBC News report, last updated on May 26, 2005, which describes the legal and publicity consequences of Mr. Black's removal of the boxes from 10 Toronto Street after an Ontario court had found out about it. According to that report, Hollinger Inc. wanted Mr. Black cited for contempt of court for removing them, even though he insisted (and still insists) that the items in them were personal. The Globe and Mail has a much more recent background report, written by Jacquie McNish and Paul Waldie, that details the legal hoops the U.S. Department of Justice had to go through to get their impoundment-authorized hands on the boxes, including having to re-submit a bounced Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty application. In the initial application that the prosecutors had submitted, they had asked for five boxes instead of thirteen.

Ms. McNish and Mr. Waldie also note that, as of about a month ago, the contempt-of-court matter had yet to be adjudicated.