How much does Labour Party pride cost?
Zaoui bill $2.4m and climbing
5.00am Friday July 28, 2006
The case of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui has cost almost $2.5 million with no end in sight.
New Zealand First has been keeping a tally of costs for what deputy leader Peter Brown calls an ongoing hole in the pocket of the taxpayer.
Leader of the House Michael Cullen says the total is about $2.4 million.
The bill for legal aid is $483,744, Crown Law $1.273 million, Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security $357,000 with court costs of $252,000.
"I have no estimate of the final cost," said Dr Cullen, "but it looks as though it would be at least enough to keep the Overlander running for another couple of years."
There is of course an easy way to stop this cost isn’t there? Call off this nonsense, admit our secret security services cocked this up right from the start, admit that Ahmed Zaoui is not a terrorist and leave this ugly little racist chapter of Muslim fear mongering to be rightly attacked by historians a couple of decades after all the major players in this post-September 11th inspired paranoia bullshit have died. Am I able to say that or has it been made illegal yet? I wouldn’t want to sound seditious now would I? Because secret trials where you can’t even see the evidence against you is good and healthy for a democracy isn’t it? Let the secret Police decide what our rights are shall we folks, I mean as long as you’re white and not a dirty Muslim it doesn’t really matter does it?
The Ahmed Zaoui affair is the single most embarrassing security over reaction cock up this country has ever undertaken, and the vile naked racism that it exposed shows we aren’t that much different in bigotry than the Australians.
posted by Bomber @ 11:38 am
10 comments
10 Comments:
..............................Owen, what an enlightened opinion you have - do you know any of the facts regarding this debate or is just more talkback diatribe - please explain how the Refugee status was biased or not fair, please explain why he should be deported to a Military Junta that over thew a democraticly elected Islamic political party and who has made death threats against Ahmed Zaoui when we have legislation that doesn't allow us to deport people back to places when the death penalty is hanging over them.
oops, 'our' not 'are'
If he is not a terrorist then he should be allowed to stay like any other white non terrorist? If he is a legitimate "Refugee" - There is proof of lies he told about some link he had to some bad group - So that should be the end of the debacle? If its true? Is it?
Bomber>> I don't think you'll crack through the racism that is prevelent in these people. I wish they could stop thinking of him as one person .. step back and look at the full picture of whats going on. Please. And to call labour a leftist government is a laugh. They have all the same policies as national but they just take different routes to get there.
When Zaoui - thats who we're talking about - came to this country he destroyed his passport and did not have one on arrival. This is the act of a person who is attempting to leave his past behind. It is an act of someone who is attempting to decieve. We do not want this type of person in our country. It is not racist it is purely and simply perserving ourselves from a deciever. He has proven he cannot be trusted with this one act. That is good enough for me. Let him worry about his past when he arrives to his homeland and lets start saving lives with money that can be better spent. Lisa Manning and her cohorts are acting in their own interest - they are on a gravey train - why should they not try to perpetuate it. Dont listen to them. The end result will be that Zaoui will go I am confidant of that. Lets just limit the cost. Get out Zaoui.
.............................Here is what Parliament had to say on the Ahmed Zaoui situation, isn't in interesting how Keith Locke, the only person bringing up good questions get knocked down each time isn't it?
Algerian Refugee—Costs
8. PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of Justice: What is the latest estimate of costs to the Legal Services Agency, Crown Law Office, and the Ministry of Justice relating to the Ahmed Zaoui case?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) on behalf of the Minister of Justice: Some of these numbers do not lie within the ministerial responsibility of the Minister, but he has tried to obtain the figures for the member. In terms of legal aid to the end of June, the total was $483,744 in legal aid for Mr Zaoui. The Ministry of Justice also administers the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. For the year ended 30 June 2006, that office had incurred roughly $357,000 in costs relating to the case. The Minister is advised by the Attorney-General that Crown Law costs to date are $1.273 million. The Minister is also advised that the court costs total is somewhere around $252,000. That makes a grand total, roughly speaking, of about $2.4 million.
Peter Brown: Noting those figures and that the review has been deferred, delayed, or postponed, has the Minister estimated what the likely final costs to those agencies will be, and has he any advice as to when the rescheduled hearing will take place?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN: On the last point, I understand that the rescheduled hearing is likely to take place early next year. I have no estimate of the final cost, but it looks as though it would be at least enough to keep the Overlander running for another couple of years.
Keith Locke: I seek leave to table a tabulation of the four sets of legal proceedings involving Ahmed Zaoui, all of which the Government has lost or has substantively lost, and has wasted over $2 million of taxpayers’ money on.
Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table those documents. Is there any objection? There is objection.
Keith Locke: I seek leave to table a tabulation of the sets of proceedings that the Government has won in the Ahmed Zaoui legal series. It is a paper with nothing on it.
Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection to that? There is objection.
Keith Locke: I seek leave to table the Refugee Status Appeals Authority decision of 1 August 2003, which, if the Government had accepted and gone along with it, would have saved about $2 million of taxpayers’ money.
Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes, there is objection.
Keith Locke: I seek leave to table a set of tax tables that show what Ahmed Zaoui would be paying in tax if he had been allowed his freedom and to take up a position in Islamic studies at a New Zealand university.
Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN: I seek leave to table an equally blank document showing the costs that New Zealand would have incurred had Mr Zaoui returned to Algeria when the amnesty was declared.
Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.
Keith Locke: I seek leave to table the Amnesty International report of last month that explains how people in detention in Algeria today are tortured by the security forces and the police.
Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.
Peter Brown: Is the Minister aware of the assertions that the office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security is not adequately resourced; and can he, therefore, advise whether this issue will be taken care of, in order that in January next year, when the review is held, it will be fair, efficient, and as transparent as is possibly allowed, and, effectively, will make a final decision?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN: I am not aware of those claims. I am aware of claims from Mr Zaoui’s lawyers that delays are entirely the fault of the Crown. That those claims are disingenuous, to put it mildly, needs to be put on the record, I think.
Peter Brown: Can the Minister give the House an assurance that the office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security will, in its review, take proper and detailed cognisance of the judgments made in France, Belgium, and Switzerland that impacted on Mr Zaoui?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN: No, I cannot give that assurance, because how the inspector-general deals with the inquiry he is undertaking is entirely a matter for him. It would be quite inappropriate for me to make any comment in that respect.
cut the crap and send zaoui where he come from, many other countries (before pathetic nz)refused him entry, why we so stupid. his wife and kids waiting in malaysia for his permit and then they all will be applying for entry to nz, and he we go again start all over with the rest of the ratbags, even if they all work they will never repay nz taxpayer the money wasted on his 'defense'. there are genuine refugees waiting and waiting in line. how zaoui can sleep at night knowing that the money spend on him could be better spend on needy nz ders. my question is why any ratbag landing on nz soil can get legal aid and all the support from the looney's. crap is it. there are thousands of taxpayers waiting for life threatning surgeries dying waiting and we wasting money on non nz citizen.
....................................wow, look at the anger from anon here folks - can you see the love and compassion for your fellow man bubbling out of Anon? Anon, if someone had just escaped the killing fields of Cambodia, or the Taliban regime or even Nazi Germany - would you turn them back Anon? Would you say, 'we don't want your kind here because you tore up your passport', I wonder how that person would reply, "But sir, I've just escaped Nazi Germany/killing fields of Cambodia/the Taliban regime (you can pick Anon), please if I'm sent back they will kill me and perhaps my family".
What would you say Anon? Would your black little heart open a little, or would you still spit out your venom and send them back? Have you really thought about this issue Anon or are you simply repeating Talkback nonesense?
Bomber amigo, Azoui did not come via Cambodia or Afganistan I think we talking about different kind of the "refugee" Point I make that the "peaceful man" still keep smiling meantime many NZ taxpayers dying waiting for life threatning surgeries, is this fair? to save Zaoui we sacrifice many NZ citizens who actually paid Taxes whole life and deserve to be looked after. Mr Zaoui can go to any of the dozens of MUSLIM COUNTRIES but he decided to settle in NZ. I am not advocating that he goes back to Algeria, Some years ago we send Irish man back to Northern Ireland why not sen Zaoui back. He and his family will be burden to NZ Taxpayer for many years to come. He keep smiling because looney Goverment dont have any balls to make decision. Sorry to say but the Ozzies come to grips with this nonsense and keep all "economic refugees" of the mainland until their faith is decided. Why we investigating him anyway why we just dont get in touch with other countries who already done the dosier on him and decided that he dont qualify as a political refugee. Those countries (France, Switzerland and Belgium) have better intelligence resource than NZ. Surelly they know more than we do. We are pathetic and incompetent.
.......................................Dude - do you know how much money would have been saved from the 2.4 million cost IF the government had accepted Zaoui as the genuine refugee that the refugee board granted? $2 MILLION! I understand your point, but your anger is misdirected towards Zaoui - you should be angry at the Government who are stubbornly refusing to move on this issue because they are embarrassed by the whole incident. The Government cocked up, not Zaoui
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