Judge silent on drug inquiry plans

Press, 20 November 1982, Page 1

Judge silent on drug inquiry plans

PA Wellington The plans of the Australian Royal Commission on drug trafficking remained secret yesterday, three days before it is due to start hearings in Auckland. Mr Justice Stewart, who has headed the intensive investigation into the drug empire of the New Zealander, Alexander Sinclair, for the last 18 months, declined substantive comment after he had met the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon and the Attor-ney-General, Mr .McLay, at Parliament Buildings yesterday , His Honour met Mr McLay for about 20 minutes and spent slightly longer with Mr Muldoon in what were described •as “courtesy, calls.’’ ' He later declined to comment on how many witnesses the commission would hear during its sitting in Auckland or on whether any of those the commission wished to subpoena had left New Zealand? to avoid giving evidence.

His Honour would not, say howJmuch of his work in Auckland would be behind closed doors. “I” will be sitting in both open, .’and closed sessions as circumstances dictate.” Meanwhile, sources close to the commission have'told NZPAlhat as mush as 70 per cent'■ of the expected twoweek' hearing in Auckland will be in camera. The terms of reference for the commission in New Zealand largely restrict the scope of the

investigation to trying to unravel the financial aspects of the empire set up by Sinclair, formerly Terence John Clark. Sinclair is now serving a minimum 20-year jail term in Britain for the murder of his former partner, Christopher Martin Johnstone, aged 27, and for trying to extend his Australian-based drug ring to Britain. The NZPA reliably believes that many New Zealanders named, in. evidence during Sinclair’s six-mohth trial at Lancaster last year have given evidence to the commission in Sydney and do not need to be called here. : One source said this week that the commission’s visit to New Zealand was largely, "window-dressing.’’ 5 An Auckland woman, Miss Karen Soich, Sinclair’s girlfriend who stood trial with him on lesser charges and was acquitted, told NZPA several weeks ago that she expected to be subpoenaed. However, Miss Soich could not be reached this week and is thought to have gone to London.

His Ho'nour replied “No comment" when asked if he was aware if any prospective witnesses had left the country. ■ The hearings, which will open in Auckland on Monday, break new legal ground. It is the first time a Commission of Inquiry constituted in Australia has been “adopted” by New Zealand, and given the power to sit and subpoena witnesses.