Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

The mere fact that someone is under investigation may not give you sufficient grounds to stop that person’s travel. I hasten to add that, as I was just about to say earlier, Mr Moti is now in the Solomon Islands and we are seeking his extradition. The point that is made here is that, because he is under investigation and comes to Australia, we then take action to arrest him at that point and stop him from leaving Australia. Of course, before you make that arrest, you have to have the investigation completed. In this case, the Australian Federal Police even referred the brief to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who confirmed that charges should be laid—and, of course, they were—and his extradition sought. But I do rely on the Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to make that decision. I have total faith in the professionalism and competence of both of those agencies and we rely on their actions in this regard. (Time expired)