HUGE TRIAL BOGS DOWN IN PROCEDURAL WRANGLES

The lawyers sit three deep like a flock of crows on telephone wires, the 33
defendants sit in individual booths wearing translation headphones. It
looks for all the world like a language lab.

But despite the orderly appearance and a brand-new, high-tech,
high-security courtroom, a massive gang trial was no sooner out of the
block Wednesday than it tripped over a tangle of legal shoelaces.

"The motions are being filed at record speed and this matter is moving at
glacier speed," sighed Queen's Bench Justice Mel Binder. "That can't continue."

Arraignments were supposed to begin Wednesday for 33 people charged in a
web of 39 counts of cocaine trafficking, money laundering, participating in
a criminal gang and conspiracy. The alleged members of the Trang gang have
been charged under the federal government's new anti-gang legislation.

The hugely complex trail is expected to involve 90,000 pages of documents,
4,000 wiretapped conversations and 400 witnesses.

But even before the trial could take the basic step in which the accused is
read the charges and decides if he wants a jury, the wheels of justice sank
to their axles in a procedural bog.

Because a Monday court decision moved two young offenders up to join the
other Trang accused in adult court, Crown prosecutor Cynthia Dickins
couldn't provide the court with a complete indictment. That's the document
listing all the charges and the accused, from which the entire case flows.

As well, about a dozen of the accused informed the court they have decided
to switch lawyers.

Lawyers don't expect the actual trial to begin for months. The Legal Aid
bill has been estimated as high as $17 million.

What did run smoothly Wednesday was Alberta Justice's new $2.1 million
courtroom, built especially to house the trial.

It has seating for 40 defense lawyers, most of which were full. It can also
seat eight prosecutors , 40 prisoners and five judges.

Computer ports at all the desks allow lawyers to plug in their laptops and
even network them together. Screens for each juror will show exhibits or
video images of witnesses or prisoners.

There are four translation booths behind the jury. This trial will use
Cantonese, Vietnamese and English. Both the public gallery and the
prisoners' dock are shieleded with thumb-thick security glass.