DALLAS – Defense attorneys spent Friday trying to chip away at government evidence against five former officials at the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). They have tried to show the evidence, while seeming to be substantial, is a fraction of the hundreds of boxes seized in various search warrants and thousands of intercepted telephone calls.
Thus far, the defense questions have not challenged the accuracy of the evidence presented – transcripts and tapes showing the defendants praising Hamas and, in the case of some, participating in a 1993 meeting of Hamas members and supporters aimed at derailing the U.S.-negotiated Oslo Peace Accords.
The defendants are charged with illegally routing $12 million to Hamas through a network of charities, or zakat committees in the West Bank and Gaza. Prosecutors say those committees were part of, or controlled by, Hamas. Defense attorneys counter that the men raised money for legitimate charities that provided desperately needed relief.
In its searches at the HLF and related offices and the homes of several co-conspirators, the government seized as many as 600 boxes of evidence, including thousands of audio and video tapes. About 250 exhibits were admitted into evidence during the past week of FBI agent Lara Burns' testimony.
Defense attorney Linda Moreno, representing defendant Ghassan Elashi, emphasized the volume of evidence that was written or taped before 1995 – before support for Hamas became illegal. Defense attorney Gregg Westfall, representing HLF New Jersey representative Abdelrahman Odeh, picked up on Moreno's tactic. He noted there were wiretaps on the various defendants for a decade, which would cover thousands of prospective calls. Read more ...
Thus far, the defense questions have not challenged the accuracy of the evidence presented – transcripts and tapes showing the defendants praising Hamas and, in the case of some, participating in a 1993 meeting of Hamas members and supporters aimed at derailing the U.S.-negotiated Oslo Peace Accords.
The defendants are charged with illegally routing $12 million to Hamas through a network of charities, or zakat committees in the West Bank and Gaza. Prosecutors say those committees were part of, or controlled by, Hamas. Defense attorneys counter that the men raised money for legitimate charities that provided desperately needed relief.
In its searches at the HLF and related offices and the homes of several co-conspirators, the government seized as many as 600 boxes of evidence, including thousands of audio and video tapes. About 250 exhibits were admitted into evidence during the past week of FBI agent Lara Burns' testimony.
Defense attorney Linda Moreno, representing defendant Ghassan Elashi, emphasized the volume of evidence that was written or taped before 1995 – before support for Hamas became illegal. Defense attorney Gregg Westfall, representing HLF New Jersey representative Abdelrahman Odeh, picked up on Moreno's tactic. He noted there were wiretaps on the various defendants for a decade, which would cover thousands of prospective calls. Read more ...
Source: IPT News
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