Thursday Exit

An article by Paul Waldie, webbed by the Globe and Mail, starts off with a not-quite-unprecedented surprise: another juror (a female) has been excused. He also reports on a meeting Judge St. Eve had with "lawyers privately for about 20 minutes before the trial began this morning. Prosecutor Eric Sussman declined to comment on the discussions." The article ends with the reason explaining why Patrick Tuite, counsel for Jack Boultbee, has been so lengthy in his cross-examination of Paul Healy, because Mr. Healy testified earlier that Mr. Boultbee had told him to write the appraisal memo.

The first report by Romina Maurino, webbed by 680 News, starts off with this admission by Mr. Healy: "A New York condo bought by Conrad Black from Hollinger International had received US$2 million in renovations that weren't mentioned but were factored into the price paid, a prosecution witness agreed Thursday under cross examination." Specifically, he "admitted 'it seemed logical' to factor the US$2 million that Black had spent renovating the condo into the purchase price," and that he "could have explained in the memo that the price Black paid included the US$3 million base cost plus the US$2 million spent on renovations and have clarified why the condo seemed so cheap." These admissions were elicited by Csr. Tuite.

An updated version of the same report, webbed by the Toronto Star, goes into a little more detail about this part of the cross-examination. At its end, it has a quote from Donald Trump himself: "'I haven’t been following the trial so there’s not much I can comment on,' he said while promoting his new building in Chicago" - on the site of the former Sun-Times building.

With regard to Mr. Trump's statement, the Financial Post has a more complete record of what he had to say. In addition to the above quote, he also said that "'I just came from New York, and as you know, in New York this is not a big story....I'd really have to see what was said,...' When asked if he expects to be called to testify, Mr. Trump replied, 'I have no idea.'"

The Chicago Sun-Times has more on The Donald's visit. He did stick to a topic that he has been more in touch with: bashing Rosie O'Donnell and The View.

The Reuters report not only reviews the testimony of Mr. Healy under Csr. Tuite's cross-examination, it also has a few questions from Ed Siskel under redirect. When asked by Csr. Siskel if the $3 million price as of December 2000 was too low, Mr. Healy replied: "'It's my belief that if nothing had been done to that apartment, if it had been left vacant, the company's interest in the apartment would have been worth more than $3 million,'... adding that the appreciation would have been 'significant.'" He also specified that Conrad Black benefitted from any increase in the apartment's value. "Asked whether he had any basis for valuing the apartments as he did, Healy said 'No.'"

Mr. Healy is finished up with his testimony, according to a later report by Ms. Maurino, which was webbed by 570 News. It has some information on the last witness to take the stand today: Lance Bloomfield, a security guard at Hollinger Inc's former head office at 10 Toronto St. He recounted his transferring of the 13 boxes out of the office of Mr. Black's personal assistant, Joan Maida, only to return them when an overseer of the relevant court order, court-appointed inspector Monique Delorme, told him to bring the boxes back to Ms. Maida's office. (Ms. Maida is slated to be the first defense witnesses.) It also notes that the prosecution is still deciding on the order of its last witnesses. Unsurprisingly, the report starts off with the Donald Trump appearance in Chicago.

Mr. Bloomfield's testimony is the highlight of tonight's AP summary, webbed by WQAD.com, which relates that he testified to moving 12 or 13 boxes from 10 Toronto. A longer Associated Press article, webbed by the JournalGazette Times-Courier, has more on what Mr. Bloomfield said under direct examination. He testified that he had "'misgivings'" after talking with another person - presumably, Ms. Delorme - and, after deciding that he hadn't followed the procedures he was supposed to, returned them. "When he ended his shift, he told the night security guard that 'I expected him to keep an eye on those boxes,' Bloomfield said from the stand." That night guard is expected to testify Tuesday, when court resumes sitting. (Next Monday is the Memorial Day holiday.)

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While continuing his watch for the Maclean's Conrad Black trial blog, Mark Steyn makes an interesting point regarding the Barbara Black watch: the observers of her have a habit of relating every appearance, or non-appearance, of her at the trial to her friendships, or ex-friendships, with the respective prosecution witnesses. If this pattern of Barbara-watching is habitual, then she's one of the few who has a case of second-hand self-absorption. (In the same entry, he also calls attention to Mr. Healy's rather willing reversal from his previous testimony under direct examination.)

From the Chicago Reader's "News Bites" blog, Michael Miner has written a compendium of the Canadian reports on David Radler's testimony, with a recent column by Alan Fotheringham added to the writings of the three names that trial-watchers know well, for balance.

Also, from the Toronto Life Conrad Black trial blog, Roger Martin points to Mr. Radler's umbrage at being called an unreformed liar, and interprets it as a sign of moral pentience.

Another blog in the Reader, "Hot Type," has this brief suggestion for the Movie of the Week circuit at the end of its May 25th entry: "As the season of 24 drew to a close with the Conrad Black trial in full swing, the two dramas started to blur together in my mind. A Black movie needs to be made simply so that Powers Boothe, aka Vice President Daniels, can play him. It's the role Boothe was born for. David Adler might be a little trickier, but Gregory Itzin, aka President Logan, could pull him off nicely."