JBL marathon
(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND. February 23. So complicated and voluminous is the evidence to be presented in the lower court hearing of charges arising from the collapse of the JBL empire that not even the most closely involved court or police officials can say at a moment’s notice which charges apply to which defendants but not to others. The case, which will undoubtedly become the longest and the most complicated in New Zealand legal history if it reaches the Supreme Court, began today.
Most of one floor of Durham House, an inner Auckland building, has been converted into a court room, witness rooms, police rooms, Crown rooms,
defence counsel rooms, and press rooms. Three Crown prosecutors are presenting the depositions against nine former directors of JBL companies, two principal directors (James and Vaughan Jeffs), arid the company itself.
Four rows of trestle tables are being used by defence lawyers and the defendants. Witnesses give their evidence, sitting down, at a desk to the left of the Magistrate, Mr T. G. Maxwell, S.M. Much of the first day yesterday was taken up by the Crown’s outline
The preliminary hearing is expected to last for eight to 10 weeks. Three hundred and fifty witnesses will be called.
(Crown outlines case, P. 2.)
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34085, 24 February 1976, Page 1
Word Count
212JBL marathon Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34085, 24 February 1976, Page 1
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