Hearings on Zaoui to be held in secret

Ahmed Zaoui

Human rights observers and reporters will be barred from a series of secret hearings held to review the security risk certificate lodged against Algerian refugee Ahmed Zaoui.

The first hearing will begin on August 7.

The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Justice Paul Neazor, will be reviewing whether the security risk certificate from the Security Intelligence Service director, Richard Woods, was justified and proper.

Mr Zaoui's lawyer, Deborah Manning, confirmed yesterday that the hearing would begin in Auckland on August 7 and she expected it to run for two weeks.

She said it would be one of possibly three hearings into the case, involving two different sets of legal representatives because classified information was involved.

Once the first hearing, at which several witnesses are expected to testify about his character, is finished a special advocate appointed for Mr Zaoui, Stuart Grieve, QC, will get to view some classified material.

"We may be entitled to further information as we may see some information become declassified," Ms Manning said.

A second hearing could then be held at which Mr Zaoui and Ms Manning can be present. After that, a third hearing to review classified material, at which only Mr Grieve can be present on Mr Zaoui's behalf, is expected.

All the hearings will be closed to the media, Ms Manning said.

"Mr Zaoui asked for his hearings to be open, but the Inspector-General has decided that it will be a private hearing, with no media or human rights observers allowed."

Ms Manning expects security services to be cross-examined.

She said Mr Grieve would not be allowed to discuss with Mr Zaoui or herself classified information he had viewed unless special permission was granted and most likely under strict conditions.

Mr Grieve was already involved with Mr Zaoui's team, Ms Manning said.

Mr Zaoui, formerly elected an MP in Algeria, arrived in New Zealand in 2003 and sought refugee status, saying he would be tortured or killed if he went back to Algeria.

He spent almost two years in prison waiting for his case to be decided as he fought a Security Intelligence Service certificate declaring him to be a security risk who should not remain in New Zealand.

Mr Zaoui was released on bail in December 2004 and has lived with the Catholic community in Auckland in the Dominican Priory.

Since being released, Mr Zaoui has appeared in a TVNZ promotional advertisement, was a performer at the end of last year's New Zealand Music Awards, and in March resisted calls to return to Algeria after a political amnesty was declared in his former home country.

- NZPA