Israel reportedly paid part of Pollard's legal expenses

Thomas L. Friedman - New York Times - March 17, 1987

JERUSALEM, March 16 The Israeli Government has helped to pay the legal bills of Jonathan Jay Pollard, the American intelligence analyst sentenced to life in prison last month for spying for Israel, Israel radio reported today.

The radio said ''state elements in Israel'' transferred $80,000 by unspecified indirect means to the defense of Mr. Pollard and his wife, Anne Henderson-Pollard. Mrs. Henderson-Pollard was sentenced to five years for helping her husband to pass hundreds of top-secret American documents to the Israeli Government.

The couple's total legal expenses were reported to be somewhere between $120,000 to $200,000. The radio report did not say when the transfer took place or whether the Israeli Government planned to make additional payments to the Pollards.

Israel radio said the funds were provided to James Hibey, a Washington lawyer, whom it described as the lawyer for Mr. Pollard and his wife. But while James Hibey represents Mrs. Henderson-Pollard, the counsel for Mr. Pollard is his brother, Richard Hibey.