The following day, he appeared in the Wellington District Court and was charged with burglary and intent to rape, which carry a ten-year prison sentence.
This contradicted a statement by the Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman that New Zealand had allowed Rizalman to invoke his diplomatic immunity and to return to Malaysia.
The New Zealand Police also confirmed that Rizalman was being charged with burglary and assault with intent, offences which carry a jail term of ten years.
News reports of the Rizalman case in New Zealand sparked public criticism of the Fifth National Government for allowing the diplomat to return to his home country.
[17] On 9 July 2014, it was reported that the alleged rape victim, Tania Billingsley, had voluntarily waived her right to name suppression by appearing on the New Zealand television channel 3 News's 3rd Degree Program.
Slater also criticised the Green Party MP Jan Logie for supporting Billingsley in her criticism of the Government's handling of the case.
[22] On 24 October 2014, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Rizalman had boarded a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Auckland on Friday morning.
He reappeared in court on 26 November 2014 to enter a plea on the two charges of burglary and assault with intent to commit rape.
[21] The Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister, Datuk Hamzah Zainudin expressed his confidence that Rizalman would receive a fair hearing in New Zealand, stating that the two countries shared "clear and solid legal principles and processes.
However, he denied the Crown prosecutor Grant Burston's assertion that it was part of a black magic ritual to put a charm on her and claimed that he had to make an emergency toilet stop.
His defence lawyer Donald Stevens also alleged that Rizalman's behaviour during that night was influenced by extenuating circumstances including mental illness, which was contested by the prosecution.
[31][32][33] On 15 December 2015, Justice David Collins accepted the Crown's contention that Rizalman had a sexual motive when following Billingsley to her Wellington home.
[36] On 8 November 2014, it was reported that MFAT's Deputy Director of Protocol, Mary Oliver, had resigned from her job due to criticism from the Prime Minister over her handling of the case.
[37] On 16 December 2014, John Whitehead's Ministerial Inquiry released a critical report which outlined 21 "specific recommendations for procedural changes designed to ensure that we have no repetition of these events."
It was also reported that MFAT's Director of Protocol Caroline Bilkey had relinquished her position and reassigned as New Zealand's new Ambassador to Brazil.
[38] A copy of the email from MFAT's protocol division that had been blamed for the confusion regarding Rizalman's return to Malaysia was also released on the news website stuff.co.nz.