DAY IN COURT : Imelda in Court as Trial Nears
NEW YORK — Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, looking nervous and upset, appeared in court today as her lawyer expressed concern that she could not get a fair trial.
Marcos dabbed her mouth and chin with tissue and held Rosary beads beneath the counsel table as a series of pretrial hearings began before her scheduled trial starts Tuesday.
She is charged with conspiring with her late husband, ousted Philippines President Ferdinand E. Marcos, to loot $103 million from their nation’s treasury to secretly buy Manhattan real estate.
Saudi financier Adnan Khashoggi, charged with assisting in the plot, also appeared in court.
Gerald Spence, an attorney for Marcos, expressed concern about finding jurors who would not have preconceived opinions about her.
“Mrs. Marcos and her late husband have received much unfavorable press,” Spence said. “She has been tried and convicted in the press.”
He asked that questions be posed to prospective jurors about what they have read about Imelda Marcos and their attitudes about “a reportedly wealthy, notorious world leader.”
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