City Council Decides To Pay Keith Kaneshiro’s Legal Fees

Up to $75,000 of taxpayer money will go to defend the Honolulu prosecutor, who is on paid leave, against an impeachment effort.

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(AP) — The Honolulu City Council has approved hiring a law firm to represent the city’s prosecutor against an impeachment effort launched when he became a target in a federal corruption investigation.

The council voted 5-2 Friday to pay up to $75,000 to represent Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro.

Kaneshiro is on paid leave after the state attorney general called for him to step down because he received a letter from the Justice Department informing him he’s an investigation target. He earns about $171,000 annually.

FILE - In this March 2, 2016, file photo, Honolulu's top prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro talks to The Associated Press in Honolulu. Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors asked the state's highest court on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, to immediately suspend Kaneshiro because he is the target of a federal investigation. (AP Photo/Cathy Bussewitz, File)
Honolulu’s top prosecutor, Keith Kaneshiro, placed himself on paid leave Thursday in the face of a federal investigation. AP

The investigation has resulted in indictments against former Kaneshiro deputy Katherine Kealoha, her husband, ex-Honolulu police chief Louis Kealoha, and current and former officers.

The target letter prompted a businessman to file the impeachment petition against Kaneshiro. A court hearing on the petition is scheduled for Monday.

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