Court Rules Against North, Two Others

A federal appeals court refused to dismiss charges Friday against Oliver L. North and two other defendants in the Iran-Contra case, ruling it lacked the power to hear their legal claims until after a trial is held.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, voting unanimously, said it was premature to entertain the appeal by North, former National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter and Iranian-born businessman Albert A. Hakim.

The ruling was a major setback to the men and especially to North, who is to be the first to go on trial for his role in the covert operation that saw profits from the sale of arms to Iran diverted to the Nicaraguan rebels.

The three were indicted on March 16 along with former Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard V. Secord on charges of conspiracy to defraud the government. Poindexter and North, a former National Security Council aide, also were charged with obstruction of justice.

Dismissal Sought

Lawyers for North, Poindexter and Hakim had asked the appeals court to dismiss the charges on grounds the grand jury that indicted them was improperly influenced by testimony they gave to Congress during its 1987 hearings in the affair.

The three testified under limited immunity, which means that statements they made cannot be used against them in the criminal investigation led by independent prosecutor Lawrence Walsh.

Secord neither asked for nor received immunity from prosecution and was not a party to Friday’s appeal.