Noriega Trial Delayed for Nine Months : Court: Judge’s ruling is based on the complexity of the case. Defense lawyers say the deposed dictator will probably testify.

A federal judge, acknowledging the complexity of the case, Monday postponed for almost nine months the trial of Manuel A. Noriega as attorneys for the ousted dictator prepared a defense that they said would probably include Noriega’s taking the witness stand.

“Our principal objective is to have everybody ready for trial in a fair manner,” said U.S. District Judge William M. Hoeveler, setting the new trial date for Nov. 30. The trial had been scheduled to begin March 5.

But defense attorney David Lewis complained that even late November was “not feasible, not possible” for trial on 11 counts alleging international drug smuggling. He said defense lawyers must still obtain and study thousands of secret U.S. documents that may relate to Noriega’s past involvement as an undercover informant for the CIA, the Drug Enforcement Administration and perhaps other intelligence agencies.

The former Panamanian strongman is expected to claim that U.S. agents authorized or at least condoned his cooperation with Colombian drug gangs as long as he furnished valuable information on many of their activities.

Taking note of Lewis’ objections, Hoeveler said that “if expansion is needed, expansion will be granted . . . but in no event will this trial start later than January, 1991.”

Meanwhile, it was learned that federal prosecutors are stepping up efforts to persuade Lt. Col. Luis A. del Cid, a former confidant and military aide to Noriega, to plead guilty in the drug-conspiracy case and become a witness for the government against his former commander.

Del Cid is among five co-defendants in U.S. custody who are seeking a separate trial from Noriega. Talks with Del Cid’s Miami lawyer, Samuel I. Burstyn, began shortly after Noriega’s surrender to U.S. authorities on Jan. 3. But, in recent days, “they’re offering Del Cid the moon,” according to a source familiar with the discussions.

Burstyn acknowledged some progress but said that no plea agreement had been reached. Del Cid could be a crucial witness for the government because, according to the 1988 federal indictment, he was an intermediary who received cash payoffs for Noriega from leaders of the Medellin drug cartel who wished to use Panama as a transshipment point for U.S.-bound cocaine deliveries. The cartel also established cocaine-processing laboratories in Panama with Noriega’s blessing, the indictment charged.

In commenting on reports of a possible deal, Noriega attorney Steve Kollin said: “We’ll wait to see if there’s a plea before we worry about it.”

Lewis, in discussing possible testimony by Noriega, said the general had received substantial “foreign intelligence” over the years from countries other than the United States, including Israel and Libya.

But James McAdams, a Justice Department attorney, told the court that such intelligence would be subject to U.S. review before Noriega could use it at trial.

McAdams asked Hoeveler to mandate such a review in an order he is preparing on measures to prevent disclosure of secret materials at the trial. But Lewis objected that such a directive would go beyond provisions of the federal Classified Information Procedures Act, which Congress enacted 10 years ago to govern the use of top-secret documents in criminal trials. Hoeveler took the arguments under advisement.