[drjimmy]

I'm not sure why you are hung up on Maher's earlier confession not being taped. Last week Ted Maher testified in open court that he was the one who set the fire. From the Associated Press article:
An American nurse who has confessed to setting a blaze that killed his billionaire employer said in a Monaco court Friday that he never expected the fire to rage out of control. At the second day of his trial, Ted Maher indicated the fire was part of a bizarre plan to ingratiate himself with Edmond Safra, his wealthy employer.

Maher testified that he started the fire, then stabbed himself - convinced he would emerge the hero who rushed his employer to safety while fending off attackers. Safra and Torrente suffocated in the smoke-filled bathroom where they sought refuge.

Seems pretty clear-cut to me. Unless you want to claim that because the Associated Press didn't tape record the testimony, maybe it didn't really happen.

[job]

well you still miss the point, and I guess that I cannot articulate it any other way.

It is an indictment of the procedure, and calls into question of the procedure, of securing the confession. As to his testimony on the stand, more than likely he was advised that if he went along with the confession MCO would be more lenient, but if he fought it, and recanted, they would lock him up forever. After spending 3 years in jail without a trial, I would beleive them. I would believe that they could lock me up forever if I did not play along. So, your point is it means nothing b/c of what happened later, but you are looking at the scenario in a vacuum, without considering the other effects of recanting his testimony.

We will have to disagree.