Former Fijian official had Kiwi passport withdrawn

A FORMER top Fijian official was deemed a security threat to New Zealand and stripped of his Kiwi passport.

But after an apparent difference in opinions between spy agencies on each side of the Tasman, his passport was restored nine months later.

Court documents show the New Zealand citizen – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – was a senior public servant in Fiji.

He has since moved to Sydney, where he has been involved in the ‘‘freedom and democracy movement’’ opposing Fiji’s military leader Frank Bainimarama, who took control in a coup in 2006.

In July last year Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr told the man to surrender his passport, after receiving a report from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

Just a day later, New Zealand’s Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain ordered the man’s passport cancelled, citing an unspecified threat to national security.

However, after the man challenged the cancellation in the High Court in February, Mr Tremain changed his mind.

Mr Tremain told the man in April that New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (SIS) had decided he was no longer a ‘‘national security concern’’ and was worthy of a Kiwi passport after all.

It is unclear from the court decision what threat the man posed to national security and whose advice prompted Mr Tremain to cancel his passport.

The law allows the minister to cancel a passport on national security grounds only if he believes the person could pose a terrorism threat, be involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or illegally cause serious damage to the New Zealand economy.

Mr Tremain declined to comment, citing national security.

ASIO and the SIS did not respond to requests for comment.

The man had sought to recover costs from Mr Tremain to cover his court challenge, but was unsuccessful.