An Indian taxi driver in Darwin was sacked by his employer to stop him from giving evidence at the Northern Territory taxi inquiry, NT Parliament’s privileges committee found.
Kamaldeep Singh Khattra complained last year that he had been sacked by his employer Luke Emmanuel for deposing before the Public Accounts Committee of the NT Parliament that conducted an inquiry into the illegal subleasing of taxis.
Mr Khattra said his employer Luke Emmanuel was asking him not to “raise his voice” and that he was under pressure from the transport department and other operators to sack him.
The Indian migrant said he was “really stressed” and in $15,000 debt after losing his job.
The Legislative Assembly on Thursday voted in favour of the privileges committee’s recommendation to resolve that Mr Khattra’s former employer had committed a contempt by attempting to stop him from giving evidence, the ABC reported.
But Mr Emmanuel denied he sacked Mr Khattra to prevent him from giving evidence before the committee. He said the reason for firing the driver was the suspicion that he was running unmetered trips.
But the committee found Mr Emmanuel’s version inconsistent and possibly untruthful in places.
The maximum sentence for contempt is six months imprisonment.
