For Pras Michel Trial for Jho Low Guo Link Denied by US But Judge Asks For More Info
by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, March 20 – Pras Michel faces trial starting March 27 on charges of working for Jho Low to lobby the Obama then Trump administrations.
He also met with China about Guo Wengui / Miles Kwok, detained last week along with his chief of staff Yvette Wang on fraud charges - Inner City Press story here, stand-up here. Jho Low book here.
Michel has requested a delay in the trial, noting Guo's arrest and recounting that "Interpol issued a red notice on Guo for crimes he committed in China as well as the repeated rape of a Chinese woman in the United States between September 2015 through August 2016... Case File No. is different and why Defendant was interviewed by Agent Zitman rather than one of the agents assigned to 1MDB." Full 11-page filing on Patreon here.
From the Court, this: "counsel for Defendant and the Government shall make themselves available for a hearing on March 20, 2023 at 1:00 PM ET. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on March 19, 2023."
Inner City Press covered and live tweeted the hearing, thread here:
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OK - now US v. Pras Michel hearing on request to delay trial past March 27 due to Guo Wengui arrest but lack of documents.
Judge Kollar-Kotelly: Are you going to contest in your case in chief that Mr. Michel did not inform the FBI during the meeting(s) that he was paid by China to seek out the meeting with FBI to seek Mr. Guo's return to China?
Michel's lawyer Kenner: We contest that.
Kenner: The issue is was Mr. Michel operating as a foreign agent? Or for some other reasons? We intend to show he was operating in the best interest of the US. Judge: These are specific questions. Mr. Michel did meet with the Chinese, correct?
Kenner: Yes. Judge: Was one of the reasons of Mr. Michel's meeting with China getting Mr. Guo returned to China? Kenner: There were allegations that Mr Kwok [Guo] was engaged in dangerous crimes -- Judge: That's not my question. Was one of the purposes to discuss Guo?
Kenner: The Chinese are made that request to many -- Judge: That's not my question. Kenner: Yes the meetings had as a subject the extradition of Mr. Guo from the US back to China.
Kenner: Mr. Kwok gave three dates of birth, three configurations of his name - the misrepresentations were the first crimes -- Judge: Are you going to call Mr. Guo as a witness? Kenner: Yes we are in the process of subpoena-ing him as we speak.
Kenner: Mr. Michel learned from unindicted co-conspirators that Mr. Kwok lied on his immigration forms and requests would be made to the Trump Administration to extradite Mr. Kwok [Guo]
Judge: If you already know, why are you asking for it? Kenner: My knowing it is not evidence... Operation Fox Hunt generated a lot of paperwork, it is important to us. Judge: How would you use this? It sounds like impeachment.
Kenner: Mr. Michel was able to get back for the US a pregnant hostage. He was operating as an agent of the US, which if believed by the jury would make him not guilty. I need witnesses and discovery to prepare that. Judge: So I have my answers on that.
Judge: AUSA Keller, I got the declaration about the SDNY case. AUSA Keller: Agent Zitman was working on assessing if Mr. Gua was a counter-intelligence threat to the US. Judge: What about other agents?
AUSA: There were financial analysts - I will confirm that. Judge: When Mr. Keller can you let us know? AUSA: Should be today
Judge: This Juliana Murray, up in NY, filed a declaration - what's your critique of it, Mr. Kenner? Kenner: She doesn't know the theory of our case. How does she know if there is Brady material in there or not? Judge: If they are not involved in this DC case...
Kenner: I believe there are more documents-- Judge: They have indicated in an affidavit that they were separate cases. Where there immigration files in the counter-intelligence files? AUSA: It's already been reviewed.
Judge: Mr. Kenner, you seem to be saying anything that casts a shadow on Mr. Guo is Brady material. I'm not sure of that. Give me a minute. Court reporter: Can you spell the sames? Kenner: K-W-O-C-K [Really?] Then, K-W-O-K.
Judge is back: Mr Keller, I'd like you to look in the FBI files for anything that casts Mr. Guo in a negative light. I'll issue an order regarding Mr. Zitman, particularly if he'd going to be a government witness. Thank you for taking the time.
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