One of his lawyers said today that the government had never proved its case.

Many parents will fear their children being abandoned to save money; the government must prove they are not.

Companies will be held responsible only if the Government can prove the damage was intentional.

"And only time will tell how stable this interim government proves to be."

That will matter less to a jury than whether the government can prove its contention, one lawyer not involved in the case said.

One of the less noted but highly significant areas in which government has proved indispensable is the environment.

He said he did not believe that the Government had proved its case.

A new government here could prove a minor irritant to the Bush administration.

But the Mexican government proved less than stable, with 13 presidents in 15 years.

"I'm absolutely convinced the government didn't prove any charge" at the June hearing, he said.