I almost feel sorry for Princess Hana Al Jader, confined to house arrest while facing charges of slavery that could get her 20 years. What with all those Saudi nationals getting special permission to fly out of the country after 9/11 and George Bush holding hands with Crown Prince Abdullah, she must take a very dim view of U.S. justice. It must appear as if she were being singled out. After all, the "crimes" she's charged with are standard practice back home.

Her attorney was back in court this week, trying to get her out of her electronic bracelet. According to the Boston Herald, "James Michael Merberg maintained the princess has no plans to flee and wants to clear her name of charges she abused two maids from Indonesia."

But as they used to say during World War II, "Loose lips sink ships." One of her sons blabbed and—

her teenage sons' loose lips might have sunk her cause.

Federal agents claim one son told a delivery driver not to unpack a shipment of items for Al Jader's home good export business because the family was moving.

"The statement made by the defendant's sons to the delivery driver - not to unpack the boxes because the family was moving back to Saudi Arabia - should not, and cannot, be dismissed as indicative of intended flight," [U.S. Attorney] Merritt said.

If you can parse that last sentence, you will understand the view taken by the Department of Justice. Let me know.

Previous posts
Saudi princess misbehaving (updated) (4/1/05)
A bracelet for the princess (4/29/05)