The $1.1 million bill to repair the sickle-slashed inflatable dome at the Waihopai spybase may not be the only cost facing taxpayers, with figures released to the Marlborough Express yesterday showing the legal aid paid so far to the three men responsible for the attack has topped $50,000.
Dominican friar Peter Murnane, teacher Adrian Leason and farmer Sam Land admitted using sickles to inflict fatal damage on one of two domes covering the Waihopai Valley spybase's satellite interception dishes in 2008.
However, they were acquitted last month on charges of burglary and wilful damage after successfully arguing in court that they were driven by a belief that the satellite caused human suffering and their actions to shut it down, if only temporarily, were lawful.
Solicitor-General David Collins this week ruled out an appeal, but said he would look at suing the trio for the $1.1m cost to taxpayers of replacing the dome.
The move was welcomed by Mr Leason, who said the three men had less than $1000 between them, but would be pleased to see the spybase remain in the spotlight.
The other cost to taxpayers is the legal aid bill, which has been finalised at $35,663 for Mr Land and $260 for Father Murnane, Legal Services Agency senior communications adviser Bronwyn Bannister confirmed yesterday.
Father Murnane represented himself in court.
Ms Bannister said the legal aid paid so far to Mr Leason was at $18,621, but this was not a final figure.
Legal aid grants may include aid for costs other than a lawyer's time, including expert witnesses, forensic tests, investigators and office costs, she said.
However, Ms Bannister said in some cases legal aid recipients were asked to pay the money back later. This was assessed individually and she could not say if any of the spybase attackers would be forced to pay back their legal aid.
Meanwhile, New Zealand intelligence agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), has taken what it calls a "very unusual step" in making a public comment on the case of the Waihopai spybase saboteurs.
The base was not "a United States spybase in our midst, contributing to torture, war, and the use of weapons of mass destruction and other unspeakable evil," director Sir Bruce Ferguson and his predecessor Warren Tucker, said in a statement yesterday.
Solicitor-General David Collins yesterday ruled out appealing their acquittal but he may try to sue them for $1.1 million for the damage done to Government property.
But the GCSB directors said assertions made in the media "demand a response in the wider public interest, because they bring into question the core integrity of New Zealand's security and intelligence apparatus".
-with NZPA
By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express
No comments:
Post a Comment