Drug Importing Billionaire Anonymous For Now

Thursday, 13 January 2000, 11:11 am
Article: Chris Holm

A district court judge today ruled that the Herald Newspaper has the right to challenge the name suppression of the American billionaire caught importing cannabis into the country last week - but the paper will not get an opportunity to do so till Monday.

In the Otahuhu district court Judge Stan Thornburn this morning delivered a judgement that the New Zealand Herald - as a news media organisation - had standing to challenge the name suppression of the billionaire. Judge Thornburn referred the matter back to Judge David Harvey, the judge who made the original suppression order, to consider on Monday.

The latest decision that the news media has a right to challenge name suppression in the District Court follows the Liam Williams-Holloway case last year, where a judge ruled that the media had the right to challenge name suppression in the Family Court - a court at the same level in the judicial heirarchy as the District Court.

Lawyer for the anonymous drug importing billionaire Marie Dyhrberg said the case was likely to take time as her client had instructed her to defend his position in the name suppression proceedings. The billionare left the country on Wednesday.

Meanwhile the girlfriend of the deported Frenchman Ghislain Couston, also convicted for importing cannabis, is said to be working with Immigration to allow him to return to New Zealand to catch a flight back to France from Auckland.

(continues...)

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