July 11, 2018 2:00pm by David Farrar

Criminal Cases Review Commission a worthy project

A new commission to review alleged miscarriages of justice will go to Cabinet within weeks, after a series of delays and questions over funding.

The Labour-led Government promised a Criminal Cases Review Commission in its coalition agreement with NZ First last year. The Greens also back the proposal.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called for such a body “to fix the flaws in our justice system” in 2016, following a $2.5 million compensation payment to Teina Pora for more than 20 years of wrongful imprisonment.

Atleast Pora eventually got out and was compensated under the current system. I’d say the Peter Ellis case is a better example of why we need a Criminal Cases Review Commission.

But documents released under the Official Information Act show setting up the Commission has been beset with delays. Justice Minister Andrew Little has now pushed back the establishment to July 2019.

“The bill is well underway. Whether it will be this month or next month for Cabinet consideration I’m not quite sure. It has to be in the House this year. I expect it will be fairly soon,” Little told Stuff.

“We did a re-appraisal, and a more realistic timeframe for the Commission to open is July next year. That’s what we are working to.”

That sounds reasonable.