lankan12
07-17-2007, 11:33 AM
Three men accused of supplying funds to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have been granted bail.
A Supreme Court judge in Melbourne on Tuesday gave bail to Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 33, of Mt Waverley, and Sivarajah Yathavan, 36, of Vermont South, who are accused of supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers.
It is alleged they used the Melbourne-based Tamil Coordination Committee to raise funds for the Tamil Tigers, who fought a two-decade civil war for an independent state.
Both men are charged with being members of a terror organisation, providing support or resources to a terrorist organisation and making funds available to a terrorist organisation.
Granting the pair bail, Victorian Supreme Court Judge Justice Bernard Bongiorno found exceptional circumstances existed in each case.
He told the court the Tamil Tigers were not a declared terrorist group in Australia or Sri Lanka.
Justice Bongiorno also said the presumption of innocence should not be abandoned for political expediency.
"It must .. be kept in mind that they are entitled to the presumption of innocence," he said.
"If that principle is abandoned or even modified for political expediency that risks the whole foundation of our criminal justice system."
Vinayagamoorthy and Yathavan are due to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on July 24.
Their co-accused, Arumugam Rajeevan, 41, of Old Toongabbie in Sydney's west, was also granted bail by chief Melbourne magistrate Ian Gray.
Rajeevan was arrested earlier this month on similar charges to the other two men.
The three have each provided a surety of $100,000 and must report daily to police.
Outside the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, Rajeevan's lawyer Rob Stary told reporters justice had prevailed.
"I'm grateful that we've got an independent judiciary," he said.
"I would hope that the application of these very draconian and repressive laws would occur evenly throughout the community.
"This is the conundrum in the Tamil community. If you charge one person, you may as well charge 30,000 people.
"They all support the humanitarian relief effort and they all support ... the struggle in their homeland against the oppressive circumstances."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Allege...4559756108.html
A Supreme Court judge in Melbourne on Tuesday gave bail to Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 33, of Mt Waverley, and Sivarajah Yathavan, 36, of Vermont South, who are accused of supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers.
It is alleged they used the Melbourne-based Tamil Coordination Committee to raise funds for the Tamil Tigers, who fought a two-decade civil war for an independent state.
Both men are charged with being members of a terror organisation, providing support or resources to a terrorist organisation and making funds available to a terrorist organisation.
Granting the pair bail, Victorian Supreme Court Judge Justice Bernard Bongiorno found exceptional circumstances existed in each case.
He told the court the Tamil Tigers were not a declared terrorist group in Australia or Sri Lanka.
Justice Bongiorno also said the presumption of innocence should not be abandoned for political expediency.
"It must .. be kept in mind that they are entitled to the presumption of innocence," he said.
"If that principle is abandoned or even modified for political expediency that risks the whole foundation of our criminal justice system."
Vinayagamoorthy and Yathavan are due to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on July 24.
Their co-accused, Arumugam Rajeevan, 41, of Old Toongabbie in Sydney's west, was also granted bail by chief Melbourne magistrate Ian Gray.
Rajeevan was arrested earlier this month on similar charges to the other two men.
The three have each provided a surety of $100,000 and must report daily to police.
Outside the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, Rajeevan's lawyer Rob Stary told reporters justice had prevailed.
"I'm grateful that we've got an independent judiciary," he said.
"I would hope that the application of these very draconian and repressive laws would occur evenly throughout the community.
"This is the conundrum in the Tamil community. If you charge one person, you may as well charge 30,000 people.
"They all support the humanitarian relief effort and they all support ... the struggle in their homeland against the oppressive circumstances."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Allege...4559756108.html