GOVERNMENT BRIBERY

The ruling of the 10th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals that paying
off cooperating witnesses with promises of money, soft sentencing and
agreements not to prosecute reveals the ugly truth about use of paid
informants by the government ( "Getting leniency for testifying banned
by court," main news, July 4). It is patently unfair to use testimony
that has been obtained with threats, promises of leniency or outright
cash bribes.

Such witnesses have a great motivation to say whatever the prosecution
wants them to. The wrongness of allowing to testify witnesses who have
made bargains with prosecutors is easily seen by reversing the
situation. To wit, when a defendant pays, threatens or bribes
witnesses, it is a crime and the testimony is never allowed if the
intimidation or bribery is known to the court. Why should it be any
different for the prosecution? A fair trial is impossible when
witnesses are under pressure.

The use of intimidation and bribery to gain convictions with false
testimony is something we used to expect from communist and fascist
dictatorships. Now we see American prosecutors using Gestapo tactics
to convict people. This outrage must stop.

Redford Givens San Francisco

1998 San Francisco Examiner Page B-8

Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"