Matter of Kevork

634 F. Supp. 1002
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedAugust 7, 1985
DocketMisc. 15837
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 634 F. Supp. 1002 (Matter of Kevork) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Kevork, 634 F. Supp. 1002 (C.D. Cal. 1985).

Opinion

INTRODUCTION

LACEY, District Judge. *

On May 8,1985, by Order of the Honorable Mr. Justice C. Krever, the Supreme Court of Ontario issued an Order for a Commission to take the evidence of eight witnesses at Los Angeles, California. The Commission was signed and sealed on May 17, 1985. A letter of request in aid of said Commission then was directed to the appropriate Judicial Authority at Los Angeles, issued upon the certification of the Supreme Court of Ontario that:

IT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO THIS COURT that it appears necessary for the purpose of justice that certain witnesses residing within your jurisdiction be examined there.
See Letter of Request, Exhibit 5 at page

2.

2. The Letter of Request specifically asked as follows:

YOU ARE ALSO REQUESTED to permit the Commissioner to conduct the examination of the said witnesses in accordance with the law of evidence and Rules of Civil Procedure of Ontario and the commission issued by this Court to the extent that it is possible to do so. (emphasis added) Id., page 5

Thereafter, on June 12, 1985, Order of the Honorable Manuel L. Real, Chief Judge, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 1782, appointed United States District Judge Frederick B. Lacey and Supreme Court of Ontario Justice Eugene Ewaschuk “as Commissioners to obtain the evidence requested in the letter of request” and ordered:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Commissioners conduct the examination of the said witnesses in accordance with the law of evidence and Rules of Civil Procedure of the Province of Ontario and the Commission issued by the Supreme Court of Ontario to the extent that is possible to do so.

Pursuant to the Order of the United States District Court subpoenas issued to the eight witnesses specified in the Letter of Request. The Letter of Request specifically details that evidence of “intercepted private communications” is sought from S/A William Heaton of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The defendants Harouk Kevork, Raffic Balian and Haig Gharakhanian stand charged at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, upon an indictment alleging as follows:

1. HAROUT KEVORK, RAFFIC BALI-AN and HAIG GHARAKHANIAN stand charged that between the 1st day of January, 1981 and the 10th day of April, 1982, at the City of Ottawa, in the Judicial District of Ottawa-Carleton and elsewhere in the Province of Ontario and in Canada, they unlawfully did conspire together and with Sarkis Mareshlian and Hratch Bekredjian to commit the murder of a person, to wit: a Turkish diplomat, contrary to Section 423(l)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
2. HAROUT KEVORK, RAFFIC BALI-AN and HAIG GHARAKHANIAN stand charged that between the 1st day of January, 1981 and the 10th day of April, 1982, at the City of Ottawa, in the Judicial District of Ottawa-Carleton and elsewhere in the Province of Ontario and in Canada, they unlawfully did conspire together and with Sarkis Mareshlian and Hratch Bekredjian to cause another person, to wit: a Turkish diplomat, to be murdered, contrary to Section 423(l)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
3. HAROUT KEVORK, RAFFIC BALI-AN and HAIG GHARAKHANIAN stand charged that on or about the 8th day of April, 1982, at the City of Ottawa, in the Judicial District of Ottawa-Carleton, they unlawfully did attempt to murder KANI *1005 GUNGOR, a Turkish diplomat, contrary to Section 222 of the Criminal Code of Canada.

On June 12, 1985, the taking of evidence commenced at Los Angeles before the Commissioners. On June 15, 1985, the within motions by the defendants were brought. Following a recess; the proceedings resumed on August 1, 1985, with argument on these motions.

DISCUSSION

The Crown has instituted this Section 1782 proceeding in order that it might adduce certain evidence and testimony before the aforesaid Commission. The evidence and testimony now proposed to be offered through an FBI witness or witnesses consists largely, if not exclusively, of the defendants’ conversations that were overheard by the United States pursuant to orders of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issued under 50 U.S.C. Sections 1801, et seq. 1 The conversations were overheard by microphones installed in the residence of Hratch Kozibioukian, not a defendant in this proceeding, and by a tap on his telephone, in April, 1982; however, the Crown will tender here only those conversations overheard on the telephone.

The defendants have moved, on various theories, to block the Commission from receiving the aforesaid testimony and evidence. It has been agreed by all counsel that these motions must be determined by Judge Lacey sitting as a United States District Judge rather than by Justice Ewaschuk and Judge Lacey as Commissioners, because they and the question of whether the Commission may receive the evidence and testimony intended, require application of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

The Motions

On June 17, 1985, the defendants filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, a motion to quash “certain subpoenas issued by this Court insofar as those subpoenas seek disclosure of evidence obtained by the United States Government pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.” Alternatively, the defendants “request(ed) this Commission to suppress from evidence and prohibit disclosure of all evidence obtained, directly or indirectly, pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.” While the alternative application was addressed to the Commission in this filed motion, on oral argument defendants’ counsel contended that this motion to suppress should, like the motion to quash, be decided by me as a district judge, at least in the first instance, and not by the Commission. It is further noted that in a separate motion, also filed on June 17,1985, the defendants addressed a motion “To Suppress Evidence Derived from Electronic Surveillance and for Discovery Related Thereto” to “this Court, the Honorable Mr. Justice Eugene Ewaschuk and the Honorable Frederick Lacey, United States District Judge, presiding.” For the reasons already stated, I will also decide this motion acting in my judicial capacity rather than as a Commissioner.

Defendants’ motions, after stating that the introduction of the challenged evidence would violate United States law, further explained the legal theory on which they were proceeding, as follows:

PERTINENT LAW
A. Method of Challenging Disclosure of Wiretap Evidence

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Bluebook (online)
634 F. Supp. 1002, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-kevork-cacd-1985.