Fran calls for an inquiry
Fran O’Sullivan says the allegations that Richard Worth promised appointments for “favours” were so serious they should have gone to an inquiry.
Key should not be allowed to get away with ducking his own basic democratic responsibility to ensure a “favours for jobs” allegation that casts doubt on the integrity of his Government is tested.
Mrs Choudary could always file a complaint with the Police, as I suggested, as what she alleges is a crime under s107(1) if the Crimes Act
Corruption and bribery of Minister of the Crown
(1) Every Minister of the Crown or member of the Executive Council is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years who corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him in his capacity as a Minister or member of the Executive Council.
Maybe Phil can help her with the complaint.
No one emerges from this affair unscathed. In Goff’s case, his campaign looks decidedly shabby. First, another senior Labour Party official identified Choudary by leaking telling details about her. Then, secondly, right-wing bloggers chipped in with revelations about the immigration scams her husband, Kumar, orchestrated.
Toss in the additional factor that one of Kumar Choudary’s victims alleges he has since been offered a $15,000 hush payment by associates to shut up about the pair and this whole episode is starting to take on very serious connotations.
The reality is that Goff tabled no real evidence to support his allegation that Worth tried to entice the “strikingly beautiful” Choudary (Goff’s description, not Worth’s) with the offer of a job on the Lottery Grants Board. Even the allegedly saucy texts that have been published by the Labour leader give the appearance of little more than an obsession.
They are not sexually explicit. They do not corroborate the most serious allegation against Worth – that he was prepared to use political patronage for favours.
Fran also criticises Key:
After Key’s own ham-fisted announcement of Worth’s ministerial “resignation”, the MP was subjected to a ceaseless barrage of innuendo from both Goff and Key as they shamelessly plumbed Worth’s peccadilloes for their respective political advantage.
Both political leaders need to grow up. New Zealand is surely not Malaysia, where a political opponent (or even a former colleague) can be drummed out of Parliament or jailed without a fair go. Or is it?
List MPs can be – they basically serve at a party’s pleasure. Electorate MPs are very different.