D.C. Attorney General Could Face Sanctions for IMF Mass Arrest Handling

Attorneys are recommending sanctions against the District of Columbia government for its handling of evidence in a lawsuit arising from the mass arrests of demonstrators in 2002.

Lawyers recommended to a judge that multiple attorneys for the government should be referred to the D.C. Bar and investigated for "ethical violations.'' The request was filed late Tuesday.

They say it may be appropriate to refer for sanctions Irvin Nathan, the D.C. attorney general, "in light of his failure to supervise the ethical practices of his line attorneys.''

The attorney general's office responded in a separate filing its lawyers behaved appropriately and no evidence or data tied to the arrests was deleted.

The dispute stems from the arrests of about 400 protesters during the September 2002 meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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