After twenty-one years of bullying businessmen -- and with nary a serious scalp to speak of for all that persecution -- the Serious Fraud Office is being disestablished, and minister Annette King is insisting that the police unit taking over the SFO's duties will not be given the powers to breach basic rights that the SFO's goons had.
No more power to compel people to answer questions; their right to silence will now be protected. No more powers to compel the handing over of documents and information, regardless of defences such as client confidentiality; instead, the new agency will have to convince a judge to order suspects to hand over documents.
In other words, accused individuals will be recognised as being innocent until proved guilty -- without being bullied by the SFO, which itself was punishment enough -- and at least in this small regard, the Bill of Rights Act will be recognised as a document guiding the relationship between individuals and the state.
Good for Annette King. For once.
1 comment:
A splendid move and Mrs King is to be congratulated.
She can go to her grave having done at least one honourable thing in her life.
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