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A depositions hearing on a series of charges - including arms charges - laid in the wake of controversial police raids last October is due to start in Auckland District Court on September 1.
The hearing is expected to run until September 11, followed by a recess, and the court will sit again on September 22. Defendants have said it may run as long as October 3.
After the raids, centred on the Bay of Plenty settlement of Ruatoki, 19 people were charged under the Arms Act and one person was charged with possession of cannabis.
In October last year, the police applied to Solicitor-General David Collins for permission to charge 12 people under the Terrorism Suppression Act but on November 8 he announced he would not give permission for charges under the Act.
The next day, six of the people arrested were granted bail due to the change in circumstances, and three days later, after four weeks in jail, the last of the alleged offenders were released.
In the district court this week the Crown will seek to prove a "prima facie" case against each of the accused to show they have a case to answer before a jury.
Defendants committed from these hearings are expected to face jury trials in mid to late-2009.
One defendant, Raunatiri Hunt, a security guard, has won approval to have depositions on six charges against him heard separately in Tauranga District Court late in the year. He was remanded on bail to a nominal date of November 20.
Several but not all of those netted in the Urewera raids are Maori, including prominent Tuhoe activist Tame Iti.
Activists protesting over the case in Auckland and Wellington today said they expected some further charges may yet be laid against some of the accused.
This week, in the High Court at Auckland, defendants gained permission to sight the original applications for interception warrants under the Terrorism of Suppression Act, although some details, such as informant information has been withheld.
But an application in the High Court for a variation of bail to allow for association between two defendants, Valerie Morse, 36, and Emily Bailey, 30, failed.
Protestors at today's "October 15 Solidarity" rallies said the judge in the High Court at Auckland said he did not have jurisdiction to rule on the bail issue and sent the pair back to Auckland District Court.
They said this seemed "extraordinary" because the pair had earlier been told in the district court that a judge there did not have jurisdiction to overturn bail conditions set by the High Court.
- NZPA
