Man had unfair trial,
U.N. rules

Leon Rouse, convicted of sex abuse,
spent eight years in prison
in the Philippines

A former state House aide who previously spent eight years in a Philippine prison accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy was not given a fair trial and is entitled to some form of compensation from the country's government, according to a ruling by a United Nations commission.

In its July 25 ruling, the U.N.'s High Commission on Human Rights found the Philippine court's handling of evidence in the trial of Leon Rouse was "clearly arbitrary" and violated his right to fair and equal treatment under the law.

The commission also found that Rouse was improperly arrested, denied the opportunity to face his accuser and suffered "cruel and inhuman treatment" because he was not provided adequate medical care for kidney stones.

Arlene Gonzales-Macaisa, vice consul at the Philippine Consulate in Honolulu, said she could not comment on the case yesterday because she had not yet reviewed the U.N. commission's ruling.

"This is an isolated case," she said. "This is not a case that often comes up."

Rouse, a former gay rights activist, has always maintained his innocence, saying he was framed because he refused to pay bribes to Philippine authorities. He did not return telephone messages from the Star-Bulletin seeking comment yesterday.

In April, Rouse resigned as office manager for Rep. Rida Cabanilla (D, Waipahu-Ewa) after news of his past imprisonment circulated at the state Capitol.

He also is the subject of a pending ethics investigation into the actions of state Sen. Brian Kanno (D, Kalaeloa-Makakilo).

Republicans filed the complaint accusing Kanno, the Senate Labor Committee chairman, of misusing his position to lobby unfairly for Rouse, who was fired by Norwegian Cruise Line in 2004 after being accused of sexual harassment. Kanno also asked other legislators to sign a letter supporting Rouse, then helped introduce resolutions that critics say attempted to intimidate NCL.

The nonbinding resolutions, which never advanced, would have directed the state Tax Department to assess whether the cruise line should have to pay the state's hotel room tax.

Kanno, who did not return a telephone message yesterday, had defended his actions, saying he intervened because he was concerned about protections for workers. Rouse had said he was unfairly fired and was not allowed to face male co-workers who accused him of harassment.

At the time he resigned from his House job, Rouse said he was stepping down to deter future publicity on himself and Cabanilla. He acknowledged his time spent in prison but said he never disclosed it to his Hawaii employers because of the complexity in explaining the circumstances.

Rouse has fought the accusations since they first surfaced in 1995. He was released from prison in 2003 after a medical examination recommended that he be released and deported to the United States for treatment.

He first petitioned the U.N. commission to review his case in June 2002, while still in prison.

The Human Rights Commission, which reviewed his case under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, said the Philippine government is under an obligation to provide "an effective remedy, including adequate compensation."

It is unclear what that remedy might be.