NATION IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Justify Seizing Assets of Noriega, U.S. Told

A federal judge in Miami demanded that prosecutors in Manuel A. Noriega’s drug case justify their seizure of all his assets, saying failure to do so violates the deposed Panamanian leader’s constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler rejected the government’s claim that the seizures, which involved treaties with third countries, were not subject to judicial review. “The government has not only placed defendant’s assets out of his reach without affording him any meaningful opportunity to be heard, but has indeed done so without showing that the assets are tainted by illegal activity,” the judge wrote. That violates Noriega’s constitutional protections against illegal search and seizure and effectively deprives him of his right to counsel, he said. Hoeveler set a hearing for Wednesday on the matter.