Israeli men on passport charges back in court

12:30pm

Two men with reported links to the Israeli secret service are back in court in Auckland tomorrow.

The lawyer for Urie Zoshe Kelman and Eli Cara will be seeking a date for pre-trial applications for the duo who have been committed for trial on passport and fraud charges.

Reports have linked the two accused with the Israeli secret service Mossad and their arrest has led to a review of New Zealand passport security.

Another man is thought to have fled the country and a fourth is reported to have gone into hiding.

Defence lawyer Grant Illingworth has complained to the solicitor general that publicity on the men's case was "gravely prejudicial".

Last month he also said he would apply to the High Court to have the charges dismissed, partly because he believed they could not get a fair trial and partly because the evidence was inadequate to support the charges.

Today Mr Illingworth refused to discuss the pre-trial applications in the High Court tomorrow.

He said the complaint had been lodged with the solicitor general on the contempt of court issue which was separate from the other court applications.

"That takes a completely different course. It is up to the solicitor general to investigate that and do whatever he thinks with it," Mr Illingworth said.

He had earlier said because of the publicity they would never get a fair trial.

Last month it was suggested the two men were suspected by senior Government figures of being Israel secret service agents, triggering alarm bells that Mossad spies may be masquerading as harmless New Zealand travellers abroad.

The Government said it had "read the riot act" to an Israeli diplomat and that it had demanded the return of any bogus New Zealand passports.

Mr Illingworth said later there was no suggestion of spying activities in the charges against the two men and no suggestion the charges they faced were holding charges until spying charges could be laid.

He said the charges "had nothing to do with spying or anything of that sort."

- NZPA