Thursday, November 25, 2004
The rule of law is being further eroded
New Zealand law is heading into ever more dangerous territory.
The Ahmed Zaoui case has shown that a person can be held in custody indefinitely without being charged with a crime. This is reinforced through the Identity (Citizenship and Travel Documents) Bill, which allows the government to do the same thing to any New Zealander.
Now Justice Minister Phil Goff is proposing that the government be allowed to seize the assets of any person suspected of benefiting from criminal activity.
A Court can order confiscation if it is satisfied the Crown has proven on the balance of probabilities that the person derived some benefit from criminal activity in the previous seven years. No specific criminal offence need be proved.
As "No Right Turn" comments, there are very good examples from overseas why we should avoid going down this road.
New Zealand law is heading into ever more dangerous territory.
The Ahmed Zaoui case has shown that a person can be held in custody indefinitely without being charged with a crime. This is reinforced through the Identity (Citizenship and Travel Documents) Bill, which allows the government to do the same thing to any New Zealander.
Now Justice Minister Phil Goff is proposing that the government be allowed to seize the assets of any person suspected of benefiting from criminal activity.
A Court can order confiscation if it is satisfied the Crown has proven on the balance of probabilities that the person derived some benefit from criminal activity in the previous seven years. No specific criminal offence need be proved.
As "No Right Turn" comments, there are very good examples from overseas why we should avoid going down this road.
