CNN Agrees to Limits on Noriega Tapes

MIAMI —  Manuel A. Noriega and Cable News Network agreed Monday to postpone their constitutional showdown over taped conversations until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the issue.

Under the deal worked out in federal court, CNN must refrain from playing any tapes of talks between the imprisoned former Panamanian leader and his attorneys.

In return, Noriega’s defense delayed a request for contempt penalties of up to $300,000 per broadcast against the network. U.S. District Judge William M. Hoeveler also delayed his order demanding that CNN hand over seven disputed tapes to the court.

“Our concern is to keep Gen. Noriega from being denied a fair trial,” defense attorney Jon May said. “I’m not here to squeeze blood out of CNN.”

He said suspending the contempt proceedings will allow the Supreme Court to focus on the broader constitutional question balancing protections of the attorney-client privilege and freedom of speech.

Noriega’s attorneys on Saturday had asked the judge to find CNN in contempt after the network defied his court order and televised a contested tape.

CNN attorney Terry Bienstock said the network accepted the deal, but had the right to play other Noriega tapes as long as they did not include conversations with his attorneys. The judge agreed.

The Atlanta-based network is expected to file its appeal to the Supreme Court later in the week, a CNN spokesman said.

“We agreed that CNN would not air, pending Supreme Court review, any attorney-client conversations that it has in its possession,” Bienstock said. “We just want the issues to be narrowly and properly framed before the Supreme Court.”

May said Monday’s deal stops the clock on the contempt penalties, but does not prevent the defense from later asking for fines against CNN.

Although attention has focused on the media, May said there are also other potential parties to the dispute.

“There’s a whole bunch of people in the U.S. who may have these tapes, including the State Department and the CIA,” he said. Lead Noriega attorney Frank A. Rubino has said the tapes were leaked to CNN by a Panamanian official who received them from the State Department.

A newspaper in Panama City reported Monday that Panamanian Atty. Gen. Rogelio Cruz will ask the United States for copies of the tape-recorded Noriega telephone conversations.

It said Cruz is convinced that the tapes would prove Noriega’s involvement in criminal activities inside Panama after the Dec. 20 U.S. military invasion.

Rubino has said he expects to ask for dismissal of all charges against Noriega based on government misconduct in recording the calls.

Noriega is accused of accepting $4.6 million in bribes from Colombia’s Medellin cocaine cartel.