Law panel, not MPs, to rule on right to silence - NZ Government - NZ Herald News
"The Government's stalled reforms of the justice sector have been given an unusual lifeline with a proposal to take the controversial issue of the right to silence out of Parliament's hands and leave it to a group of legal experts.
The Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill is likely to have its second reading this week, having spent a month on the order paper while Justice Minister Simon Power sought the numbers to pass it.
The bill is a shake-up of the criminal justice system and includes the removal of an accused's right to remain silent and not have that held against them.
As it stands, the bill would require the defence to disclose to the prosecution before a trial all issues in dispute. Failure to do so would enable a judge or jury to infer that the accused is more likely to be guilty. At present, a defendant can say nothing, leaving the case to the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt.
The Labour, Green and Maori parties are strongly against the bill in its present form, but the Herald understands Mr Power has won the support of United Future leader Peter Dunne and Act MPs Hilary Calvert, Heather Roy and Sir Roger Douglas by removing the disclosure regime from the bill (Act MPs are not "whipped" to vote as a caucus).
The ability of a judge or jury to infer a greater likelihood of guilt from non-compliance would also be removed.
A new clause would allow the Rules Committee, a panel of legal experts chaired by Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias, to decide if a disclosure regime should be enforced, and if so, how.
The committee has responsibility for procedural rules in the court system, and relies on advice from judges, lawyers and other interested parties.
Dr Bill Hodge, an associate professor of law at Auckland University, said delegating control to the committee would be "unusual" because Parliament usually makes the law, while the judiciary applies it."
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