Paul Goldsmith: Justice Minister on the changes to shoplifting offences, the High Court's ruling on Kim Dotcom's extradition

The Government wants to deal with shoplifting offences in a quicker way instead of going through the entire court system.  

The Justice Minister's newly released Cabinet paper proposes the burden of proof should fall on the suspect to prove their innocence.  

This clashes with the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, as protected in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.  

But Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking this could be compared to a traffic offence. 

He says someone caught speeding is given a ticket and must pay a fine unless there is a reasonable excuse. 

He’s also welcoming a High Court ruling that the decision to extradite Kim Dotcom was legal.  

The Megaupload millionaire had challenged Paul Goldsmith's decision to surrender him to the US earlier this year, arguing the charges against him are politically motivated.  

Dotcom fought the extradition process all the the way to the Supreme Court and his latest effort was a judicial review.  

The Justice Minister told Hosking he's pleased to see his decision upheld but notes there are still potential appeals to be had. 

The Dotcom legal battle began 13 years ago. 

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