In
SDNY Illiterate Manaf Accused
of Taliban Links Wrote of 20
Children Now Hears Audio
By Matthew
Russell Lee
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
July 23 –
Accusing
of trafficking
heroin to support
the Haqqani
network in
Afghanistan, the
US Attorney's
Office on April 4,
2019 asked that
defendant
Haji Abdul Satar
Abdul Manaf be
admonished to tell
his family members
in Afghanistan not
to threaten witnesses.
U.S. District
Court for the
Southern District of
New York Judge
Paul Crotty was
happy to do
so, and set a
control date
30 days out about
discovery.
But an
incongruity
arose. It was
said that
Manaf can
neither read nor
write, yet the
prosecutor
referred to
hundreds of text
messages as
being part of
the discovery.
Afterward,
Inner City Press
the only media
present for
the proceeding
asked her to
explain. She
politely
declined.
Judge Crotty
meanwhile
asked Manaf's
lawyer in
what language
she speaks
with him - Urdu - then
asked, You
don't speak
Pashtun?
Jump
cut to July 5,
2024, when
Manaf's white
shoe counsel
filed a motion
in limine seeking
to exclude his
2012
placement on
the OFAC list and
certain
testimony of
Dr. Tracia Bacon
on the Taliban
and Haqqani
network.
Trial began
July 22, 2024
and Inner City
Press was
there. Thread
Defense:
We will ask
you to find
Mr. Manaf not
guilty. Judge:
First witness.
AUSA: We call
DEA Special
Operarions
Special Agent
Sam Rahi.
On July
23, Agent Rahi
testified
about his
conversations
with Manaf
about
"commissions" to
the Taliban,
and transport
from Helmand.
In the docket
is Manaf's
July 2023
letter to the
then assigned
judge about
needing
another
lawyer, and
two new knees,
that he has 20
children.
The day
ended, after
the jury left,
with The
day ended,
after the jury
left, with
arguments
about if Manaf
withdrew from
the conspiracy
to intimidate
an informant
in Afghanistan
- and how it
could be proveded.
It involves
the Pashto
interpreter(s)
taking another
look at a
transcript...
The trial
continues.scehHliban
The
case is US v.
Manaf,
18-cr-762
(Rakoff)
***
Feedback: Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com
Box
130222, NY NY 10013
Other, earlier Inner
City Press are listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2024 Inner
City Press, Inc. To request reprint or
other permission, e-contact Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com for
|