(Age) A Victorian Supreme Court judge has labelled the conduct of Australia’s national security agency a “disgrace” for missing deadlines and disregarding court orders over the ongoing detention of terror cell leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika.
Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth chided lawyers acting for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation during a February hearing over evidence they had been instructed to provide to Benbrika’s legal team.
The comments were made during an annual review of Benbrika’s detention order, which keeps him in prison despite the fact he completed his 15-year sentence in November 2020.
Government lawyer Justin Davidson apologised to Justice Hollingworth during the hearing for ASIO’s failure to meet deadlines in the case.
