Judge draws veil of secrecy over case

A court-ordered veil of secrecy covers the application of a man seeking refugee status.

The man's name, country of origin, and other details of his case were suppressed yesterday when he appeared in the Manukau District Court.

The man is being held in custody while his application for refugee status is being processed, but must be brought before the court every seven days for an extension of the warrant allowing him to be confined.

Judge Chris Field said that under the Immigration Act there was a clear duty of confidentiality on anyone involved with the man and his application for refugee status. He ordered that the man's court files and a report from an immigration officer be kept secret.

The judge, with the visibly upset man's consent to being kept in custody, extended the warrant until next week.

- NZPA