Drug offender's assets saved by Catch 22

LONDON, May 7 (UPI) -- British prosecutors' effort to seize the assets of a convicted drug offender have been stymied because no lawyers will take the case for the daily rate.

Jansen Versfeld, a solicitor, said he had approached a total of 30 lawyers in London, Sheffield and Leeds. None were willing to handle what promises to be a complex case for the daily legal aid rate of 175.25 pounds ($350), The Times of London reported Wednesday.

The drug offender, identified only as "P," was released after serving nine months for a marijuana conviction. But prosecutors contend he has 4.5 million pounds ($9 million) in assets related to his drug activity.

Because his assets were frozen, P applied for a legal aid lawyer. Versfeld said anyone taking the case would have to prepare for a six-week hearing by sorting through 6,586 pages of documents.

Versfeld said the case points up the unfairness of recent legislation that puts the burden of proof on P, convicted of a relatively minor offense, to show that the rest of his fortune is legitimate. Of course, without a lawyer, P does not have to prove anything.