Soich bail is allowed out

Press, 7 June 1980, Page 6

Soich bail is allowed out

PA Wellington The Government will not intervene to stop money being sent overseas by the Reserve Bank for bail for the Auckland woman, Karen Mary Soich, charged in ' the “Mr Asia” drugs case at Chorley, England. This was indicated yesterday by the Deputy Minister of Finance (Mr Templeton) who said that a Government direction to the Reserve Bank on a specific case would have considerable; legal implications. The Labour member of Par-1 liament for Auckland Central (Mr R. W. Prebble) onj Thursday called on rhe Gov-! ernment to refuse the bank permission to transfer $200,000 as a bail bond to England, as sought by Soich’s father. Mr Templeton said that although the Minister of Finance had the power to give directions to the Reserve Bank on the general!

policies governing overseas remittances, in practice decisions on individual cases were, in terms of the Exchange Control Regulations, left to the bank. Earlier yesterday, a spokesman for the bank’s exchange control section said. there was plenty of precedent for money being transferred overseas for bail bonds for New Zealanders. The spokesman, who did; not wish to be named, said that if an overseas court granted bail to a New Zealand citizen and parties here wished to put up the bail, the bank regarded it as appropriate to send it. The spokesman declined to disclose whether a sum comparable to Soich’s $200,000; had been transferred over-] seas by the bank for bail; purposes before. He said the bank regarded the background circumstances of the bail as being irrelevant.