NEW TWIST IN EMERY HEARING

B.C.'s Pot King: Federal Attorney General wants today's hearing
closed to media and public; local lawyer arguing AG has no place in the case

A surprise last-minute request from Ottawa has stirred up yet more
drama in a Slocan Valley man's effort to charge B.C. pot king Marc
Emery with conspiracy to break U.S. he is wanted on charges of
conspiracy to launder money and distribute marijuana and marijuana seeds.

Winlaw resident Paddy Roberts and his lawyer Don Skogstad are trying
to keep the federal Attorney General out of the case, which Roberts
says the AG wants to stay. The move would clear the way to Emery's
extradition.

Roberts and Skogstad are scheduled to make their case against the AG
today in Nelson's B.C. Supreme Court. But Friday, in a move that
Roberts calls "highly unusual," federal Attorney General reps from
Vancouver asked that today's proceedings be closed to media, the
public and even other lawyers.

Skogstad says he doesn't know why the AG would make the request.

"Obviously they'd be freer to talk about things in a closed
courtroom," Skogstad told the NDN Sunday.

"There may be something they'd like to say to the judge that they
don't want to say to the public."

"This has to be seen by the public," Roberts insists.

In a letter sent to Skogstad and the court Friday, the Attorney
General's office contested that because a previous hearing regarding
Roberts' evidence against Emery was held behind closed doors, today's
hearing should be closed too. That hearing was held in Nelson last August.

But Skogstad argues that Monday's hearing has nothing to do with the
case against Emery specifically.

"We're just trying to get the federal Attorney General to stay out of
the case. We believe there are no grounds for them to intervene."

The local lawyer says there are precedent setting cases that back his
argument that the federal AG can't be involved in Roberts' case
against Emery. Skogstad says it's possible some media outlets may
legally argue against the last minute request. The Globe and Mail and
Vancouver Province are covering the case.