Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA) Pubdate: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 Contact: http://www.examiner.com/ Author: REDFORD GIVENS 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"