WHY DID THE US, AS APPELLANT, ASK FOR ADDITIONAL TIME TO FILE BRIEF IN WAKED CASE ?

Just when you thought you understood a case, someone throws you a curveball. In the appeal of the Forfeiture case involving Nidal Waked Hatum, where the United States is appealing an adverse ruling by the trial judge, denying the entry of a multi-million dollar Forfeiture judgment, against a convicted Panamanian money launderer, I believed that delay was to be Waked's order of the day. The idea is to secrete assets abroad, so that by the time the US Attorney gets a judgment, whatever assets he knows about will be long gone. By the distress exhibited by the US Attorney's Office when the Court denied the Forfeiture, I can assume US law enforcement knew where Waked Organization assets were located.

Sure enough, counsel for Waked did request additional time on his brief. Now, for some strange reason, the Assistant US Attorney handling the case, claiming a heavy workload, and obtained an extension to January 11, 2019. I know very well that there are a number of appellate specialists in the Miami office. If it was so important to move with all deliberate speed, why ask for more time ? I fear that investigators and the appellate lawyers are working at cross purposes. Either that, or someone doesn't feel the need to seize illicit assets from the Waked Money Laundering Organization.