Ex-governor of Alabama pleads for pardon

MONTGOMERY, Alabama (CNN) -- Former Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt pleaded with the state Board of Pardons and Paroles Monday to restore his good name by striking down his 1993 felony conviction on ethics charges.

At a four-hour hearing to determine whether he could be pardoned on the grounds of innocence, Alabama's first Republican governor since Reconstruction choked back tears while describing himself as the victim of a "witch hunt" against his administration.

On Monday, the board heard testimony from 20 witnesses, including former aides who said Hunt had trusted his attorneys and his accountant to ensure the money in question came from political funds and not from his 1987 inauguration.

The 63-year-old former governor, who left office in the middle of his second term, was convicted of spending more than $200,000 in tax-exempt inaugural contributions on cattle, furniture and other personal items. He was given a five-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay a $211,000 fine at a rate of $100 per month.

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