Israeli pair appear in court on passport charges

Two Israeli men appeared briefly in the High Court at Auckland yesterday accused of trying to obtain a false New Zealand passport.

Urie Zoshe Kelman, 30, and Eli Cara, 50, have denied three joint charges including attempting to obtain a New Zealand passport and participating in an organised crime group to obtain a false passport.

Two other men were also said to be involved.

Zev William Barkan, 37, has left the country and authorities say they do not know where to find him.

A fourth man is believed to be still in New Zealand.

Cara and Kelman are due back in court next month.

Justice Judith Potter banned media from publishing details of a pre-trial application to be heard in a fortnight or of any discussion about bail.

Police say that Barkan attempted to get a false passport in the name of a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy sufferer.

Kelman was represented at yesterday's hearing by Grant Illingworth, QC, and Cara by Stuart Grieve, QC.

* Outside court Kelman was involved in an altercation with a Herald photographer in which camera equipment was damaged.