HONOLULU (AP) - A deposition for a 99-year-old woman prosecutors say is a key witness in a Honolulu corruption case has been postponed because she was hospitalized over the weekend.
U.S. prosecutors want to question Florence Puana in a deposition because they are concerned her age and health may prevent her from testifying at a trial next month.
Puana is the grandmother of Katherine Kealoha, a former deputy Honolulu prosecutor. Kealoha and her now-retired police chief husband Louis Kealoha are accused of defrauding relatives, banks and children to maintain a lavish lifestyle.
Puana’s early testimony was scheduled to be taken Monday. Prosecutors say she was hospitalized Saturday and released Sunday. She’s also scheduled for heart-valve replacement surgery. A judge tentatively set deposition for April 30. It could happen sooner, depending on her health.
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