Teina Pora's lawyer is fighting for an independent body to help those who believe they have been wrongfully convicted following yesterday's compensation boost to Mr Pora's wrongful imprisonment in 1992.
An extra $988,099 has been added to Mr Pora's $2.5 million compensation package to account for the lack of inflation adjustment, Minister of Justice Andrew Little announced yesterday.
Mr Pora was twice convicted for the 1992 murder and rape of Auckland woman Susan Burdett but two years ago the Privy Council quashed those convictions.
The announcement brings Mr Pora's total compensation package to $3,509,048.42.
Mr Little is wanting to set up a Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body that would review apparent miscarriages of justice, within the next two years and is being strongly backed by Mr Pora's lawyer Jonathan Krebs.
Speaking on TVNZ 1's Breakfast programme this morning, Mr Krebs said "there's no doubt in our minds that a commission such as this would've looked at Mr Pora's case much earlier and come to the result much earlier."
"It is just over eight years since Tim and I began the quest for justice for Teina and yesterday was marked the end of the road but a criminal cases review commission, once a case would be admitted to it, I imagine would be a pretty prompt process," Mr Krebs said.
Pora was wrongfully convicted for the 1992 rape and murder of Susan Burdett. (Source: Other)
"The important thing about a Criminal Cases Review Commission and the models that are working overseas, is that it's independent. It's independent of the Government...it sits outside so it doesn't have a vested interest in any particular outcome and it would have powers to compel evidence and compel interviews.
"A Court of Appeal... and the Privy Council doesn't conduct a wide ranging investigation. All it does is it look at the narrow point of law whereas the Criminal Cases Review Commission would have the power to look at all of the evidence, look at other evidence that was never involved in the case, look at fresh evidence that might even be inadmissible in a court but none the less have some weight and some bearing on an outcome."
Mr Krebs said the rules around the Commission would have to be quite clear in regards to cases that go before it.
"The rules about this will have to be worked out pretty clearly, who can and what's the threshold for admission into the process... it would have to be a clear threshold.
"I think there is a lot of work to be done before anything such as this is set up and I think it's important to look at the models in other countries."
Mr Pora's lawyer stated that he meet with his client on Tuesday and "he was very very grateful" about the compensation.
The Justice Minister made the announcement this morning. (Source: Other)
"He has his ups and downs, he spent a long time inside.
"He's doing his best but he recognises this is a generous offer by the government and he's very grateful."
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