Baseball slugger Barry Bonds has proven that the federal prosecutors will be having a hard time pursuing the perjury case against him. At this time, it can be considered as a right decision for Bonds not to plead guilty on the charges filed against him. The perjury case was based on the allegation that Barry Bonds lied to a federal grand jury during an inquiry in 2003. Bonds testified that he did not use or inject any performance enhancing drugs during the time when he was breaking home run records.

Prosecutors were able to present evidences but the district court ruled that some of the evidences are inadmissible. The prosecutors appealed the case but the ruling favors Bonds and remanded the case to the lower court. Last Friday, the option left for the prosecutors to ask the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision already lapses.

Though they have gathered these evidences from the key people involved in the alleged doping of Barry Bonds, the court ruled that it cannot be used in court without the presence of Bonds’ trainer, Greg Anderson. The trainer already refused to testify against Bonds and even accepted a jail term for his refusal. Other evidences that the prosecutors have were the alleged 3 steroid positive tests from 2000 and 2001.

Now that the prosecutors did not request for reconsideration, the case is expected to go on trial. This is the first option for them but with the evidences that they have it will surely put too much burden for them to put the slugger into jail. Bonds’ lawyers are confident that they can win the case if it proceeds to trial in the lower court. According to the lawyers, the hearing could proceed sometime in July under Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco District court.

The last option for the prosecutors is to drop off the perjury case against Barry Bonds. This could finally end the court battle which already lasted for a couple of years. According to media reports, the federal prosecutors declined to comment on the case or give any information on their next legal action. It will be known when they meet again in July. For the meantime, Bonds can have a respite from this case and wait for more positive news about the case when the trial begins.

Bonds was charged with 10 counts of perjury and 1 count of obstructing justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury in December 2003 about his use of steroids. He pleaded not guilty on these charges. The trial was set on March 2009 but judge Illston barred the inclusion of crucial evidences presented by the prosecutors.

The long list proving Bonds used anabolic steroids include the allege positive tests and syringes used to inject steroids (which were contested by Bond’s lawyers saying that those were fabricated evidences) journals, testimonies from other baseball players, testimony of BALCO former Vice President James Valente, and the testimony of Bonds’ former mistress.

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