Opinion ID: 1273675
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: divulgence of the confidential informer's identity at trial

Text: The defendant contends that in light of the particular facts of this case the prosecution had an obligation to divulge the identity of the confidential informer for the purpose of showing that the defendant was innocent of the knowing possession of drugs. His argument in this respect differs from the argument made in State v. Texeira, supra , in which we held that there is no right to mandatory disclosure of an informer's identity when the sole purpose thereof is to attack the existence of probable cause. See McCray v. Illinois, supra . This case more closely approximates the facts of Roviaro v. United States, 353 U.S. 53, 77 S.Ct. 623, 1 L.Ed.2d 639 (1957) than those of Texeira or McCray. In Roviaro, the Court held that the identity of a confidential informer must be revealed where the defendant makes a showing that the informer's testimony may be crucial on the issue of guilt or innocence. The defendant in Roviaro was charged with the knowing transportation of heroin. His arrest was effectuated through information supplied by an informer who had taken a material part in bringing about the possession of certain drugs by the accused, had been present with the accused at the occurrence of the alleged crime, and might be a material witness as to whether the accused knowingly transported the drugs as charged. Id. at 55, 77 S.Ct. at 625. In view of the close nexus between the informer and the defendant in the commission of the alleged crime, the Court held that the ability of the defendant to prepare a meaningful defense outweighed the public interest in maintaining informer confidentiality, and hence that the informer's identity should have been revealed. In doing so, however, the Court observed that no fixed rule with respect to disclosure is justifiable. Id. at 62, 77 S.Ct. at 628. Instead, the Court held, Whether a proper balance renders nondisclosure erroneous must depend on the particular circumstances of each case, taking into consideration the crime charged, the possible defenses, the possible significance of the informer's testimony, and other relevant factors. Id. The application of this balancing standard to the facts of the present case indicates that the trial court did not err in rejecting the defendant's request for disclosure. The crux of the defense on the issue of guilt or innocence was that the defendant was unaware of the presence of the drugs on the table top in his bedroom. However, the defendant admitted to being a resident of the house, and identified the bedroom in which the drugs were found by the police as his room. Indeed, he did not contest the fact that the drugs were found in open view on a table barely four feet from his bed, and that next to them on the table lay a wallet bearing his identification. Nevertheless, he asserts, the informer may have been a material witness in view of his presence in the house barely forty-eight hours prior to the search at a time when, according to the affidavit in support of the search warrant, two other residents of the house were involved in illicit drug transactions. At best, however, the informer could have testified that the defendant was not present in the house at the time of these transactions and hence had no part in them  a fact to which the prosecution freely stipulated in any event. It is clear that the prosecution did not base its case against the defendant on any activity he might have undertaken in the presence of the informer, but rather on evidence of the defendant's knowing constructive possession of the drugs on the morning of the search. In the circumstances, we cannot say that the possible significance of the informer's testimony to the defense outweighed the public interest in protecting the flow of information Roviaro v. United States, supra at 62, [7] 77 S.Ct. at 629. In view of the evidence indicating the proximity of the defendant to drugs in open view in his own bedroom, we reject the contention that the trial court's finding that the defendant knowingly possessed these drugs was not supported by substantial evidence. Compare State v. Dias, 52 Haw. 100, 470 P.2d 510 (1970). We find the defendant's other allegations of error without merit. Affirmed.