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Jyllands-Posten February 23rd, 2002:
by Jens Chr. Hansen, correspondent of Jyllands-Posten

Amdi Petersen's lawyer appeals

Los Angeles.
Tvind leader Amdi Petersens American top lawyer Robert Shapiro made a
last, almost desperate attempt to convince the judge that the
overwhelming body of evidence in the Tvind case would threaten to
overload the Los Angeles court.

"There are 62 boxes of supplement material. It will have to be
translated. It is a tremendous work load", stated Shapiro minutes before
judge Hillman refused his request to release Amdi Petersen. Now it seems
that Shapiro will indeed have to deal with it - will have to set about
with the translation and preparation of a long and complex extradition case.

Robert Shapiro gave to understand on Friday that the denial of bail will
be subject to appeal next week. When this appeal can be taken to court
is uncertain, but it won't be in less than one or two weeks' time.

Besides these proceedings the parties are preparing for the extradition
case itself, which will start on March 19th at the earliest. Things are
shaping up for a marathon case.

Shapiro tried to throw doubt upon the whole case

Robert Shapiro, otherwise very self-confident, often with both hands
buried deep in his pockets while he talks, tried to throw as much doubt
upon the Holstebro police case about extensive tax swindle and evasion,
in hope of making the judge choke on the whole thing and prefer to grant bail.

For instance, Shapiro tried to create doubt concerning the translation
into English of the extradition document which constitutes the basis of
the whole case in Los Angeles. That objection was overruled by the judge
after a lot of argumentation back and forth. And Shapiro didn't manage
to convince the judge that Amdi Petersen wouldn't step on it and leave
the country if he was released on bail.

Both Shapiro and the prosecutors, represented by attorney Matt Sloan,
frequently referred to the luxury apartment on Fisher Island in Miami,
owned by Amdi Petersen and Kirsten Larsen, the apartment in which they
have not stayed since Jyllands-Posten in October 2001 revealed the
existence of this 50 million kroner apartment.

The prosecutor argued that since Amdi Petersen hasn't showed up at
Fisher Island since October, this is sufficient proof that he would run
away as soon as things were getting too hot. The same would be the case
if he was to be released on bail in Los Angeles.

Shapiro, on his part, argued that the apartment was proof that Amdi
Petersen at no time had feared travelling to the U.S. despite the
on-going tax case against him in Denmark.

"If he had wanted to avoid extradition to Denmark he could easily enough
have stayed in Zimbabwe, Congo or another country where extradition
would have been much more difficult than in the U.S. Mr Petersen has
made at least 20 trips to the U.S. and he has lived in Miami for eight
months."

These arguments made no impression at all on the judge.

Shapiro's repeated attempts to present Amdi Petersen as a
philanthropist, pacifist and international humanist, who had saved the
lives of up to a million human beings in Africa, was like water off a
duck's back when presented to the judge.

"Isn't it possible to imagine that a person could be a humanist and at
the same time appropriate to himself other people's means," was the dry
remark from judge Hillman, who promptly added that "this is of course
not my conclusion today, since it isn't at all what today's proceedings
are about".

This remark for the first time brought a smile to the lips of the people
present in the courtroom.

After the decision was made both Shapiro and Amdi Petersen's Danish
appointed lawyer Quade Andersen had a hard time hiding their evident
annoyance when they were asked for their comments.

Shapiro firmly denied that it had been a defeat and claimed he is still
convinced that he will get Amdi Petersen released on bail when he
appeals. At the end of the trial on Friday in Los Angeles Shapiro
managed to get judge Hillman to approve of a profound health check-up of
Amdi Petersen.

Seen from the outside it seemed as if the prosecutors really got their
case up and running when prosecutor Poul Gade from Århus came to Los
Angeles. He will return to Denmark on Monday.

Jørgen Quade Andersen, who have seemed irritable while in Los Angeles
and who doesn't seem to be treated with much respect by Shapiro, will be
returning to Denmark on Sunday.

jens.chr.hansen@jp.dk