1 December 2006

Comment on Moshe Ya'alon case

Attorney-General Michael Cullen today said his decision in the Moshe Ya'alon case was made on the basis that there was insufficient evidence to support any possible prosecution.

"On advice from Crown Law I was assured the material supplied to support the warrant did not meet the evidentiary standards required for a court in New Zealand to be able to convict this man of the crimes that were alleged against him.

"The materials supplied to support the allegations could not be relied upon to show a prima facie case against the defendant.

"After careful analysis Crown Law was satisfied that the proceedings were invalid and the District Court Judge was unwittingly acting without jurisdiction.

"I should point out, to the best of my knowledge, no arrest warrants have been issued in any other country and that the International Criminal Court, where war crime cases are heard, is not pursuing this matter. We have certainly received no request in this matter from any overseas authority."

Dr Cullen will be making no further comment and is not available for interviews.

ENDS

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