Longer jail term for no answers

MOTORCYCLE gang members will face longer prison terms for failing to answer questions before the Australian Crime Commission.

The move follows two Territory bikies refusing to answer questions from commission investigators in Darwin.

The commission has special coercive powers to force witnesses to answer questions or go to jail for five years.

It is understood the new prison terms could be as long as 10 years.

The two territory bikers that have sparked the move preferred the possibility of five years in prison to the retribution of fellow gang members.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison said he intended to look closely at increased penalties.

He was pre-empting the findings of a federal parliamentary committee review of the crime-fighting organisation.

“One of the things likely to come out of the review is to increase the penalty and, believe me, I’d look at that closely,” Senator Ellison said.

The Federal Government also is planning to put Tax Commissioner Michael Carmody on the board of the crime-fighting body, so the full range of federal law-enforcement agencies is represented.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Thur, 22 September 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/283