court the moment his offices were raided by a top detective.

The Policeman accused him of stealing $500,000 to pay for gambling and a lavish lifestyle, the court heard.

Mr. Richard Hector, attorney for Madeiros, asked for the hearing's afternoon session to be cancelled because his client was "not feeling very well''.

The trial started on Monday after a postponement due to health problems suffered by 64-year-old Madeiros.

Mr. Hector's plea came during evidence by Det. Ch. Insp. Vic Richmond, who confronted the lawyer with detailed records concerning his client Boyd Davis, whose finances were managed by Madeiros.

The detective pointed to more than $500,000 in "legal fees'' withdrawn from Davis' trust account over three years, not backed up by details of work done.

Amounts withdrawn tied in with Madeiros' credit card debts, said Mr. Richmond.

The Trump casino in Atlantic City was one place featured in the bills. Davis, an alcoholic when he inherited the Sleepy Hollow estate in Hamilton Parish, gave Madeiros power of attorney in 1986.

Davis now owns only a small part of the property and is a tenant in what was his family home.

He blames Madeiros for the shrinking of his inheritance.

But Madeiros denies siphoning off cash, saying the $506,000 he took was an "outright gift'', compensation for countless unpaid hours he spent managing Davis' affairs and trying to stop him drinking.

Mr. Richmond said he seized 12 boxes of files from Madeiros' Reid Street offices in January, 1991.

"Mr. Madeiros appeared to me to be confused and dejected, and I know that he had difficulty putting words together.'' Mr. Richmond said he asked Madeiros why Davis earned more than $2 million income from his estate, but had only $12,000 when he fired Madeiros in 1990.

Madeiros told him Davis had considerable expenses, including credit cards, developing Sleepy Hollow properties, furniture from Creative Interiors, and his daughter's school fees.

Davis' drinking habits were a great problem and he kept changing his mind, creating extra costs, Madeiros had told him.

Mr. Richmond read out a statement made by Madeiros which said Davis would go on binges lasting up to five days, during which he did not change his clothes.

He once bought drinks for everyone in a bar and bought gifts for "so-called'' friends.

Madeiros said he refused to stop trying to "rescue'' Davis, despite warnings from people close to Davis that the effort was doomed.

Occasions when Davis "strayed off course'' became less frequent, the statement added.

Davis decided to give him the value of four lots of his property. Because this was a gift it would have been wrong to put it in writing, said the statement.

Madeiros said Davis understood and approved all moves taken on his behalf. Mr.

Richmond then told of a six-hour interview with Madeiros.

Madeiros told him the gift had been made at a time when Davis did not have a drink problem.

He denied any crimes, saying that if construction work at Sleepy Hollow had not "dragged on'', Police would not be interviewing him.