The entire episode of tonight's installment of The Verdict was devoted to discussing the implications of Judge St. Eve’s decision to let Conrad stay out of jail until his sentencing, provided that he stays in the Northern District of Illinois or the state of Florida, and to revisit the amount of the bail and the return-to-Canada issue on August 1st.
The first guest was Joy Malbon, who reported on the hearing and the outcome. She noted that he didn’t get treated the same as his co-defendants, but he seems happy with the results. The asset itemization, in preparation for the August 1st hearing, may lead to Conrad being allowed to return to Canada. She also said that the prosecution had put up a real fight.
Next were Canadian immigration lawyers Richard Kurland and former prosecutor Jacob Frenkel. Csr. Kurland said that he was glad that Conrad will not be free to return to Canada at this time. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration may cancel the temporary resident permit; if she doesn’t, then a message will be indirectly sent to Judge St. Eve. Csr. Frenkel noted that the prosecution basically lost this round. He also spelled out what would happen if Conrad ducked out: a serious chase, which may not be worth it to Lord Black. Csr. Kurland added that Canada might not take the risk of offending the Americans. Csr. Frenkel added that this point makes Canada a poor risk as a flight destination; a better risk would be a country headed up by a dictator that’s not friendly with the U.S. The judge is trying to find the optimal amount that would guarantee that Conrad will show up. Part of Csr. Kurland’s observations made reference to Lord Black giving up his Canadian citizenship. He also noted that there was a material change in the circumstances, which both gives grounds for a revocation of the temporary resident permit and for a serious think-over come renewal time. (For Conrad, it’s November 27th.) Csr. Frenkel noted that Judge St. Eve has “extended a real courtesy” to Conrad by not increasing the bond today.
The next two guests, discussing the asset search launched by the government, were Paul Waldie and Al Rosen, a forensic accountant. Mr. Waldie said that we don’t know how much money Conrad has, but it probably isn’t that much. Mr. Rosen mentioned some plausible destination for any hidden assets, such as the Channel Islands, Switzerland, or the Turks and Caicos islands. Mr. Waldie mentioned two offshore companies already known, both set up for tax reasons, after saying that he wouldn’t be surprised if some hidden assets are uncovered. Conrad is likely to have set some money aside for his family, according to Mr. Waldie; Mr. Rosen concurred. He also added that there’s a time limit on such searches: in a civil case, the time-length of the search cannot extend beyond the timeframe of actions mentioned in the lawsuit. Both said that there are legal obstacles to seizing any found assets, especially for kids’ trusts. Ms. Todd then shifted the subject shifted to legal fees. With regard to Hollinger International reclaiming the fees advanced to Lord Black for his defense, Mr. Waldie noted that the company doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on as of now, because an appeal is pending. He ended by noting that there have been many a slip ‘tween the bill and the payment in cases like this. The shareholders of Hollinger Int’l are likely to get nothing back
The next segment dealt with David Radler’s attempt to rebuild his fortune. The two guests that were on to discuss it were Joan Crockett and Matthew McClearn. Ms. Crockett said that Mr. Radler is an inveterate dealmaker, and is money-driven. Mr. McClearn noted that Mr. Radler’s chief asset is his interest in Horizon Publications, and has a lot of expertise in managing small community newspapers; he also has quite a bit of money left. Ms. Crockett then said that Mr. Radler has to come back as the head of a private company, as he is banned from heading up a public company. He is very focused on cost-cutting by habit. Regarding the effect on the quality of the newspapers, Mr. McClearn noted that newspapers at this level are run on the cheap anyway. Ms. Todd then asked Ms. Crockett how much Mr. Radler cares about journalism; she replied that Mr. Radler will be guided by the market with respect to this factor. Mr. McClearn chimed in by adding that running small newspapers on the cheap is David Radler’s métier, and Ms. Crockett then added that Mr. Radler’s daughter, who owns a few newspapers herself, doesn’t.
In her closing editorial, Ms. Todd noted that the show began with the beginning of the Conrad Black trial and reviewed what’s been aired since then. She ended by noting that The Verdict will be taking a hiatus until September 4th.
[This episode of The Verdict will be broadbanded as of 10:30 pm tonight. I don't know how long it'll stay up; it might be broadbanded until the resumption of the show on September 4th.]
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4 comments:
Why not just ban commenting since you delete every last one? It's the sign of a real pussy to not allow dissenting views.
Just one question, with your head pushed up so far into Black's derriere, how do you manage to breath?
I don't know what you're talking about. The only comments I have deleted on this blog are my own, and those were ones where I had mistakenly hit "Publish Your Comment" instead of "Preview."
You evidently have mistaken me for someone else.
I'm not going to bother to answer what is actually your second question, since it's evidently rhetorical. If it isn't, then you can rephrase it.
In Defense of Mr. Ryan I left a comment that was highly critical of Black attached to the previous post. He has not deleted that.
Nor do I intend to. In fact, I intend to read the article whose link you provided therein.
Thank you for the support.
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