ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 25, 1990                   TAG: 9005250252
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: MIAMI                                LENGTH: Short

JUDGE KILLS PAYMENT OF NORIEGA LEGAL FEES

A federal judge on Thursday threw out a deal for the government to pay Manuel Noriega's heavy legal fees, setting up a showdown over $20 million in assets confiscated from the deposed Panamanian dictator.

U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler said federal law on defense spending limits would not permit the $250- to $350-an-hour fee for each of Noriega's five attorneys in the drug trafficking case. The federal cap is $60 to $75 an hour for only one attorney, the judge said.

The failure of the agreement means the U.S. attorney's office must quickly justify the U.S. government's seizure of 27 accounts linked to Noriega, who claims he has no money for his defense.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB