It is contary to natural justice to expect New Zealanders to serve their prison terms or pay their fines before their cases have been brought before the courts. Offering a refund for those found not guilty would do nothing to right the injustice. 

At Guantanamo Bay there are some 500 prisoners who have never been found guilty of any crime because they have never had a trial. As the years pass by they must all be wondering when they will be getting their refunds. 

The City Councils' vision for dealing with a backlog of self-generated court cases by taking away the need to ever hear them must have brought a smile to the faces of political prisoners in other vibrant third world class cities. The City Council's inefficiency is no justification for an outrageous breach of natural justice. 

Tony Watkins

Karaka Bay 

Unpublished 9 August 2006