28—Order for delivery to examiner of passport of witness
(1) Where, upon
application by an examiner, a Judge of the Federal Court sitting in Chambers
is satisfied by evidence on oath that—
(a) in
connection with a special ACC operation/investigation, a summons has been
issued under this Act requiring a person to appear before an examiner at an
examination (whether or not the summons has been served), or a person has
appeared before an examiner at an examination, to give evidence or to produce
documents or other things; and
(b)
there are reasonable grounds for believing that the person may be able to give
to the examiner evidence or further evidence that is, or to produce to the
examiner documents or other things or further documents or other things that
are, relevant to the special ACC operation/investigation and could be of
particular significance to the special ACC operation/investigation; and
(c)
there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the person intends to leave
Australia and has in his or her possession, custody or control of a passport
issued to him or her,
the Judge may make an order requiring the person to appear before a Judge of
the Federal Court on a date, and at a time and place, specified in the order
to show cause why he or she should not be ordered to deliver the passport to
the examiner.
(2) Where a person
appears before a Judge of the Federal Court under an order made under
subsection (1), the Judge may, if he or she thinks fit, make an
order—
(a)
requiring the person to deliver to the examiner any passport issued to him or
her that is in his or her possession, custody or control; and
(b)
authorising the examiner to retain the passport until the expiration of such
period (not exceeding 1 month) as is specified in the order.
(3) A Judge of the
Federal Court may, upon application by the examiner, extend for a further
period (not exceeding 1 month) or further periods (not exceeding 1 month in
each case) the period for which the examiner is authorised to retain a
passport under an order made under subsection (2), but so that the total
period for which the examiner is authorised to retain the passport does not
exceed 3 months.
(4) A Judge of the
Federal Court may, at any time while the examiner is authorised under an order
made under this section to retain a passport issued to a person, upon
application made by the person, revoke the order and, if the order is revoked,
the examiner must forthwith return the passport to the person.
(5) In this
section—
"Australia" includes the external Territories.