Intercepted call central to case against man charged in September raid was mistranslated, says defence lawyer

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The intercepted call at the centre of a case against a man charged with a terrorism offence after a series of raids in New South Wales has a “glaring error” in the translation, defence lawyers have claimed.



On Thursday 22-year-old Omarjan Azari made his first appearance in court since the raids in September, in which police raided more than 500 homes across Sydney. Azari was charged with conspiring to prepare an act of terrorism.



Azari’s counsel, the criminal law barrister Winston Terracini, told magistrate Greg Grogin errors had been identified in the translation of an intercepted call that was so far the key evidence disclosed in court.



He also told the court Azari was being held in the high-security Goulburn jail and has not been allowed visits by family and friends.



“There are inaccuracies in the translation,” Terracini said. “We’ve already had one look and there is at least one glaring error.



“There is no explanation why he is in Goulburn. We’ve asked for a review by correctional services and they haven’t even deigned to reply.”



Azari appeared by videolink from the prison and did not speak during the hearing.



Terracini said there had been no further evidence beyond the intercepted call, but the prosecutor, Karen Leavy, told the court more telephone intercept material was coming from the federal Attorney General’s Department.



“There’s further telephone interception material we’re waiting on release from the Attorney General’s Department,” she said.



She said 182 electronic devices had been seized as part of the counterterrorism operation.



Court documents allege that Azari “did between 8 May 2014 and 18 September 2014, conspire with Mohammad Baryalei and others to do acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist attack”.



The next hearing will be on 19 December.

