The NZ Herald has finally woken up to the fact that in the court in Auckland there is an apparent case of political corruption unfolding that doesn’t involve National, or ACT, or John Banks. But it took a Wellington based gallery journalist to right it because David Fisher is still fixated on fruit bowls.
David Shearer, who was quick to call for John banks to resign or be stood down doesn’t think there is anything untoward in the Bill Liu case that warrants Shane Jones or indeed David Cunliffe being stood down or even axed altogether.
Mr Shearer has been calling on Act leader John Banks to be relieved of his ministerial portfolios while police investigate whether he breached the Local Government Electoral Act by declaring donations to his 2010 Auckland mayoral campaign from German billionaire Kim Dotcom as anonymous.
But he said last night the questions around Mr Jones’ involvement in the Yan case were not as serious as those around Mr Banks donations from Dotcom.
The strength of the evidence against Mr Jones was “very arguable”.
David Shearer is wrong on this. He has played “gotcha” politics despite saying he wouldn’t and now it is one of his own under the cosh.
There is a massive difference between a private citizen lobbying for someone, who incidentally was refused that for which he wished and the case of Bill Liu where two ministers went against official’s advice. Bill Liu got exactly what he asked for and not only that was almost paraded by Labour MPs as they bestowed citizenship upon him in what is probably the fastest ever recorded application for citizenship.
It lloks very much like corruption, and Shane Jones and David Cunliffe were ministers at the time, in government, not private citizens. Those are the facts as presented in a court, not the mad ramblings of a fat German git.
David Shearer needs to act with integrity, so far he hasn’t.
