United States v. (Under Seal)

794 F.2d 920, 1986 WL 714214
Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit·Decided June 23, 1986·No. 86-5572·Published·Cited by 35 cases

Opinion

HARRISON L. WINTER, Chief Judge:

Petitioners appeal from an order holding them in contempt for refusing to testify and to respond to a subpoena duces tecum before a grand jury, following a statutory grant of use and derivative use immunity. They contend that the Fifth Amendment affords them the privilege not to testify in the United States, because their testimony could be used to incriminate them in a pending prosecution in the Philippines.

The district court denied petitioners’ motion to quash their subpoenas on the basis of the Fifth Amendment, granting instead the government’s motion that petitioners be shielded from prosecution in this country by use and derivative use immunity. When petitioners persisted in their refusal to comply with the subpoena, the district court adjudged them in contempt and sentenced them to a period of incarceration to end either when they purged themselves of their contempt or when the term of the grand jury expired. In addition, the court entered a restrictive order with respect to the safekeeping and use of transcripts, records and notes of testimony they might give in response to the subpoenas. Finally, the district court stayed the beginning of sentence for thirty days on condition that petitioners not leave or travel outside the United States.

We affirm.

I.

A grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia was investigating possible corruption in arms contracts with the Philippines when petitioners, Irene Araneta and her husband Gregorio Araneta, III, respectively the daughter and son-in-law of Ferdinand E. Marcos, former President of the Philippines, came to the United States aboard an aircraft of the United States Air *922 Force. 1 After their arrival in the United States, the Solicitor General of the Philippines filed criminal charges against the Ar-anetas alleging the crimes of conspiracy and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Articles 210-221 of the Philippines Penal Code during the period 1966 until their departure on February 26, 1986. Approximately two months after their entry into the United States, the Ar-anetas, having been served with the grand jury subpoenas, appeared before the district court in connection with their motion to quash and the government’s motion, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 6002 and 6003, to immunize them. The district court denied their motion, granted the government’s motion and ordered them to testify. When they advised the court that they would persist in asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege and refusing to testify, the district court entered the order finding them in contempt, imposing punishment and protecting their testimony when and if given. The order was entered May 20, 1986.

The United States and the Republic of the Philippines have negotiated and entered into an extradition treaty, dated November 27, 1981. The treaty has not, however, received Senate ratification. By its terms, the treaty applies to certain offenses “committed before as well as after the date this Treaty enters into force.” An affidavit of the United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, who is responsible for, inter alia, formulating and executing United States foreign policy regarding the Republic of the Philippines, indicates the extreme importance the United States attaches to favorable relations with the Philippines and declares that it is the policy of the United States to strengthen and broaden those relations. Further, the affidavit shows that the United States has, at the request of the government headed by President Corazon Aquino, agreed to supply the government of the Philippines with an inventory and copies of documents held by U.S. Customs officials, obtained from President Marcos and members of his party when they arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 26, 1986. The United States undertakes this obligation in order to assist the Philippine government in determining whether valuables and documents brought to the United States by former President Marcos were taken unlawfully and places a high priority on fulfilling this commitment. Finally, the affidavit recites that the Aquino government has established a presidential commission to seek recovery of property and assets claimed by the Republic of the Philippines and that the affiant “strongly believe[s] that it is in the foreign policy interests of the U.S. government to honor the Philippine Government’s request [to assist the chairman of the commission in securing access to the documents being held by Customs] and our commitment to fulfill it at the earliest possible time.”

After argument of this appeal, one of the lawyers in this case supplied us with a newspaper account reporting that on June 11, 1986, one "week after the argument of this case, the United States and the Philippines entered into an agreement on procedures for mutual legal assistance. The accord commits the two signatories to share evidence in the legal investigations of specific corporations and individuals alleged to have provided kickbacks to obtain military and public works contracts, including a $2.1 billion nuclear power plant project. The two governments have also agreed to assist each other in arranging interviews with potential witnesses and locating additional evidence.

Petitioners and other members of the Marcos party are lawfully present in the United States under advanced parole status pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5). 2 In es *923 sence, they are present, but not admitted, and may be returned to the Philippines in the discretion of the Attorney General when he determines that their presence no longer serves the public interest.

II.

The Aranetas were granted statutory use and derivative use immunity pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 6002 and 6003, and they concede that this satisfactorily replaces their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination under the laws of the United States. See Zicarelli v. Investigation Commission, 406 U.S. 472, 92 S.Ct. 1670, 32 L.Ed.2d 234 (1972); Kastigar v. United States, 406 U.S. 441, 92 S.Ct. 1653, 32 L.Ed.2d 212 (1972); Ullman v. United States, 350 U.S. 422, 76 S.Ct. 497,100 L.Ed. 511 (1956); Brown v. Walker, 161 U.S. 591, 16 S.Ct. 644, 40 L.Ed. 819 (1896).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

United States v. (Under Seal), 794 F.2d 920, 1986 WL 714214 (4th Cir. 1986).

794 F.2d 920 (United States v. (Under Seal)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

United States v. Prevezon Holdings, Ltd.
289 F. Supp. 3d 446 (S.D. Illinois, 2018)
E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co. v. Kolon Industries Inc.
479 F. App'x 483 (Fourth Circuit, 2012)
Francisco v. Verizon South, Inc.
756 F. Supp. 2d 705 (E.D. Virginia, 2010)
In Re Impounded
178 F.3d 150 (Third Circuit, 1999)
In Re: Grand Jury
Third Circuit, 1999
United States v. Balsys
524 U.S. 666 (Supreme Court, 1998)
United States v. Aloyzas Balsys
119 F.3d 122 (Second Circuit, 1997)
United States v. Balsys
918 F. Supp. 588 (E.D. New York, 1996)
United States v. Lileikis
899 F. Supp. 802 (D. Massachusetts, 1995)
United States v. Vytautas Gecas
50 F.3d 1549 (Eleventh Circuit, 1995)
United States v. Gecas
830 F. Supp. 1403 (N.D. Florida, 1993)
United States v. Erato
2 F.3d 11 (Second Circuit, 1993)
Moses v. Allard (In Re Moses)
779 F. Supp. 857 (E.D. Michigan, 1991)
In re Moses
132 B.R. 837 (E.D. Michigan, 1990)
Environmental Tectonics v. W.S. Kirkpatrick, Inc.
847 F.2d 1052 (Third Circuit, 1988)
United States v. William Mark Rubin
836 F.2d 1096 (Eighth Circuit, 1988)