Reagan 'off the hook'

New York (Reuter) - The Iran-Contra prosecutor, Lawrence Walsh, has told the former president, Ronald Reagan, that he is not under investigation in connection with the worst scandal of his two terms in office, the New York Times reported yesterday.

Mr Walsh sent Mr Reagan's lawyers a letter last Thursday strongly suggesting that prosecutors had decided the evidence did not warrant criminal charges against Mr Reagan, the newspaper said. 'This office regards President Reagan as simply a witness and not as a subject or target,' Mr Walsh wrote.

According to Theodore Olson, a Reagan lawyer, the letter meant the former president was out of legal jeopardy. 'It has been my understanding that President Reagan is not being considered . . . as someone who is a candidate for indictment or as a potential defendant in any way,' Mr Olson told the newspaper.