Sydney (dpa) – Witnesses to legal documents will have to see the face of the signatory under changes to make sure Muslim women cannot fool Australia's justice system when undergoing identity checks, officials said Monday. The new rules were drawn up after a veiled Muslim women got off on a charge of knowingly making a false statement by claiming the prosecution could not prove she had signed the document because the witness had not seen her face. “If a person is wearing a face covering, an authorized witness should politely and respectfully ask them to show their face,” New South Wales Attorney General Greg Smith said in a statement. Those who refuse would not have their document authenticated and could also face a fine. Smith said the case of Muslim convert Carnita Matthews last year warranted a change in the law. Matthews, 48, made a formal complaint that a police officer had ripped off her veil after pulling her car over for a traffic violation. The witness to the document had not seen her face to verify her identity and neither had the duty officer it was handed to at a Sydney police station. He said he “assumed” the person was Matthews. She was convicted of making a false statement after video footage routinely taken from police vehicles showed no assault had taken place. But the conviction was quashed on appeal after she denied that she was the person who signed the formal complaint and handed it in to police. The new rules follow a change in the law last year that provide for a hefty fine or a year in jail for motorists who refuse to show their faces to police investigating a suspected offense. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/ip3Ju Tags: Australia, Law, Niqab, Veil Section: Latest News, Oceana, Women
