4. JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she stand by her statement in relation to the National Party that “it’s almost certain they got a tip from the Serious Fraud Office that it was about to move”; if so, why?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) Link to this
As has been widely reported in the media, gossip was rife in Wellington by last Tuesday night that the Serious Fraud Office was poised to announce a formal investigation. I have little doubt that the National Party was aware of that.
What evidence does the Prime Minister have, given that she said she is not dealing in rumour, that the Serious Fraud Office, Crown Law, or the police leaked material to the Opposition; if she cannot produce any such evidence, will she apologise to those bodies for besmirching their good reputations?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Somebody somewhere in the government system had to be responsible for this matter leaking out into the public arena. We know that rumours were widely circulating at a function on the Tuesday night that many National MPs attended, and I find it interesting that Mr Key moved the next day, telling his colleagues that time was of the essence.
Does the Prime Minister accept that it is a very serious matter for the Prime Minister to accuse the Serious Fraud Office of acting improperly, at a time when that agency is investigating a political party with which she is in a governing relationship and whose leader was her Minister of Foreign Affairs; and can she explain exactly on what basis she made these outrageous and unfair accusations?
Can the Prime Minister confirm that, in fact, two members of this House were tipped off in advance that the Serious Fraud Office was about to commence its investigation, and that those two members were the Rt Hon Helen Clark and the Hon Dr Michael Cullen?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Yes; at 5 o’clock on Wednesday, after Mr Key had done his grandstanding. I can assure him that neither of us was the source of his information.
Can the Prime Minister also confirm that, on the basis of this knowledge, she decided to reveal what she had been hiding since February—that Mr Glenn had told her that Mr Peters had asked him for a donation—knowing that the only thing that would push such a startling confession from the headlines was the announcement of the Serious Fraud Office investigation?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I know that Mr Key and Mr English very seldom speak or share any confidence, but I advise Mr Key that Mr English himself raised the question, to which I responded in the House.