NATION : Noriega Aide Seeking a Deal
A former Panamanian military officer accused of being a liaison between deposed dictator Manuel A. Noriega and Colombian drug cartels is discussing a possible plea bargain with prosecutors, his attorney said today.
Attorney Sam Burstyn, however, declined to disclose the terms of the agreement being discussed when questioned outside a status hearing for Lt. Col. Luis del Cid, Noriega and three other co-defendants in the federal drug-trafficking case.
Del Cid, 46, who is being held without bond, appeared in U.S. District Court with three other co-defendants for a status hearing before Judge William Hoeveler. Among the issues that were discussed were access to classified documents and trying Noriega separately from the other defendants.
Noriega, who, like Del Cid, surrendered to U.S. agents following the Dec. 20 attack on Panama, did not attend the hearing.
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