British Govt denied appeal

Press, 29 April 1988, Page 7

British Govt denied appeal

I ''lll PA [Wellington. The British Government has been refusedj Icou'rt permission to| take its battle over publiciitson of. al former spy’s memoirs to, the Privy Council in Lon-i don. i . 11l ■ i The Court of Appeal had earlier decl'iried a British request, for an jn-| junction preventing Well] ington Newspapers... Ltd'from publishing ['extracts from "Spycatchsr.” ; a book written by a former Mls officer. I Peter Wright. i In a judgment delivered yesterday the Court said it had refused discretionary leave for the British-Gov-ernment-to appeal l to the Privy Council qver the decision. | I | I The issues at stake were not such that should be decided by thh Privy Council. New Zealand's highest court, thq <pourjt of

Appeal said. The Court’s president. Sir Robin Cooke, said the British Government could not appeal as of right. It wanted discretionary leave to appeal on the ground that it was of great general or public importance. I The Court said it accepted that the questions that would be raised in an appeal would be of general or public importance in New Zealand. ; ■ [ It did not accept, however, that the description ‘{great” was satisfied. To do so would magnify the book out of real [propor : tioh.

Sir Robin said it would be inappropriate for the Court of Appeal to express any view on the question of the British Government’s applying to the ■Privy Council itself for special leave to appeal.