FBI Says Saudis Buy Off Witnesses

(AP/Newsday) - The Saudi government has spent more than $1 million to pay for lawyers, and in some cases for bond, for hundreds of its citizens who have been detained, prosecuted, or questioned inside the U.S. during the crackdown on terrorism. The FBI openly calls the practice tantamount to buying off witnesses. John Pistole, assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, recently told the Senate the FBI has raised concerns with the Saudi government that paying legal bills and bond for Saudis could influence what they say in their testimony. The U.S. does not provide its citizens with lawyers and bail money when they are detained in foreign countries.


2003-10-21 00:00:00

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