John Tamihere and the SFO
I am very glad for John Tamihere that the SFO has decided that “the evidence in relation to his involvement in the matters that I have investigated does not support the laying of charges”.
I never thought that he had personal involvement in the stolen $100,000. While some disagree, I think that Tamihere acts with good motivations, and I like him as a person.
However that is not to say he has been “cleared” and holds no responsibility for what happened. The man charged is a very good friend of his, his former electorate chair and was appointed by Tamihere as Chief Financial Officer. And Tamihere did authorise the payments.
I am on the board of two organisations which turn over a few million dollars, and in that role have to approve major invoices and sign cheques. I pretty much always question staff when there is a significant invoice (more than $1,000 or so) from a new supplier and ask what services were provided etc. This is a fundamental responsibility. And to sign off $100,000 of invoices on your final day in office to organisations you have never ever heard of is incredibly reckless. And this is effectively taxpayer money which was stolen.
Any claims by Helen Clark that John Tamihere has been vindicated is applying the minimum ethical standard, which is that he did not himself steal the money. But as CEO he has not been vindicated for his role in what happened, let alone the wider issue of taking a huge golden handshake when he had said publicly he would not.
March 16th, 2005 at 12:23 pm
So when John Banks said he knew nothing of Brian Nicolle’s pamphlet drop he got grilled on national TV and virtually called a liar. Now when JT raises the same ‘dumb’ defence we all clap loudly and shout to the rooftops ‘we believe JT, we believe’. Bullshit.
Why didn’t John Campbell conduct a live interview with JT and cross-examine him like he did Banks? Why hasn’t the Herald asked the Ombudsman for the SFO file like it has with the Brian Nicolle matter? If the Herald won’t, I might.
This thing smells of a ‘fall guy’, which is Tolich and his mate (with name suppression). It smells and the media has treated it with kid gloves. Shame on them.
March 16th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
If he is not a criminal then he is certainly a gullible fool. Either way he should not be in Cabinet. Personally, I don’t believe he is gullible, which means I think ….
March 16th, 2005 at 12:27 pm
Well spoken David – an excellent post.
March 16th, 2005 at 12:35 pm
Goodness me! I have never thought Mr Tamihere was a fool. He signs off $100k invoices to “new suppliers” on his last day withiut any questions and the SFO does not find sufficient evidence to prosecute? What do they regard as sufficient evidence? I hope someone grills the SFO publicly on this. Did the SFO examine the books of the “suppliers” to see where the money finally finished up?
March 16th, 2005 at 1:31 pm
Adolf, $100,000 is still far less than the hundreds of millions Maharey has pissed away.
March 16th, 2005 at 1:42 pm
David -
Good post. This is precisely the kind of crap that would have Tamihere baying for blood if it was going on in Tainui or Ngai Tahu and no amount of SFO letterhead would shut him up.
March 16th, 2005 at 1:57 pm
Is it possible that JT might not be in parliament after the election? Where is he on the list? Who decides on the Labour list rankings?
March 16th, 2005 at 1:58 pm
Exactly right Craig: He’s so critical of “corruption” at the traditional iwi (which are, by and large, successful) but seems to think all of this is OK at his dodgy social welfare “urban” Maori thingy. It’s all about his ancestors having been slaves and his not fitting into more conservative Maori society.
March 16th, 2005 at 2:11 pm
Adolf, apparently the party list doesn’t have to be filed with Elections NZ until 5 weeks before the election. (was that Berend who said that?)
March 16th, 2005 at 2:13 pm
As well as the lies about the golden handshake, there is still the tax issue to be resolved. If no tax was paid, then how did he fill out his tax return?
March 16th, 2005 at 2:59 pm
He was pretty reckless with taxpayer’s money and simply signed off cheques with no questions being asked, and the person who wanted the invoices paid is now facing criminal crages. Tamahere does not deserve to be a minister where among his duties is the stewardship of tacpayers’ money. As a long suffering taxpayer I do not trust that man to be careful with my money.
March 16th, 2005 at 3:10 pm
It took you a while to decide how to spin this particular little disappointment, David..
March 16th, 2005 at 3:16 pm
Adolf – JT said a while ago he would not seek a list place. Maybe someone should check if this is still the case.
David – The tax return issue has been referred to the IRD. The White report shows that the income was not declared, as it was meant to be but the IRD Commissioner will not comment for privacy reasons what action they are taking.
Johnie – I am not disappointed at all. It is the exact outcome I expected and predicted.
March 16th, 2005 at 3:20 pm
Begs the question now that if he really is in the clear then Helen Clark should bring him back into Cabinet.
Irrelevant excuses will follow regarding timing, election coming up etc… and she won’t bring him back…..because she is too smart. Alot smarter than the SFO.
March 16th, 2005 at 3:39 pm
I reckon Helen has decided that the Maori vote for Labour is buggered anyway and he’ll lose his seat so she won’t have to deal with the problem because the voters will do her dirty work for her.
March 16th, 2005 at 3:51 pm
Adolf channeling helens’ thoughts again ?.
You really should be in the Lotto prediction business.
You are truly a legend on your own laptop !
March 16th, 2005 at 4:06 pm
Cathy and Adolf may well be right. There is more to come.
March 16th, 2005 at 4:12 pm
Good call Adolf.
March 16th, 2005 at 4:19 pm
But if this is the standard of treatment for someone who has been technically ‘cleared’ of direct misdoing, then shouldnt Maharey, Benson-Pope and Mallard be left alone on a Pacific Island with only Bishop Brian Tamaki as company?
March 16th, 2005 at 4:41 pm
What’s Tamaki done to deserve that?
March 16th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
Ha! Tamihere:
“I’m sick and tired of people being the conscience of the nation” he said on National Radio when he was questioned about the payout and whether he should return it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10115592
looke… Surely he’d appreciate the fixed audience of heathens to preach to. (at?)
March 16th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
I agree with most of the comments above. The SFO should have been able to follow the money. They seem to have been fairly careful in their comment.”No evidence to justify a prosecution” or similar. The degree of proof required in fraud cases is high and Tamihere would have had the best legal brains in the land watching every move. Tolich was either a true friend or a false friend.I also agree Tamihere is no more fit to be in charge of the expenditure of taxpayer money than Maharey or Mallard.
March 16th, 2005 at 5:08 pm
Have those cops from Rotorua been charged?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3219217a10,00.html
March 16th, 2005 at 7:45 pm
Has the SFO *ever* turned up incriminating evidence on anyone?
March 16th, 2005 at 8:20 pm
adolph has made the best call on this.
cheers
March 16th, 2005 at 8:28 pm
Lined up Donna Awatere Huata pretty well.
But that was not hard.
I think their next target is John Delamere – remember him…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3218464a11,00.html
Enkidu is right though – their success rate seems to be somewhat appalling. And when they do get evidence the best news story is when the hacks investigate how the SFO have allegedly broken laws or allegedly stretched the boundaries of the law to obtain it…witness a chap called John Reid and Digitech.
I think all and all the NZ media are better at turning up evidence than the SFO.
Perhaps the Government should just cut out the middle men and start paying them to do the SFO’s job….oops………
March 17th, 2005 at 12:39 am
Linda Clark, to prove she can give as hard a hitting interview to John Tamihere as she can Rodney, decides to ask the tough questions:
LC: “Hey John, did you get a $195,000 golden handshake?”
JT: “Yep, it was for doing a good job”
LC: “And you forgot to declare it on your income tax return?”
JT: “No, my accountant did. I just forgot to tell him”
LC: “And the Trust forgot to pay the tax on it”
JT: “Yeah, as CEO, I made sure they covered it.”
LC: “So you actually got about $300,000 before tax..”
JT: “Yep, as I said, a good job. I was worth it”
LC: “But your CFO has just been found ripping off the Trust”
JT: “Yeah – bit of a shock.”
LC: “And you signed those fake invoices…”
JT: “Yeah – bit of a shock.”
LC: “So, you got paid for doing a good job – like making sure systems were in place that the CFO couldn’t rip off the Trust”
JT: “Hey – I did a good job, not a GREAT job. Don’t get picky.”
LC: “And you are admitting to this, to take your medicine”
JT: “Look – I’ve been completely cleared. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
LC: “But didn’t you promise NOT to take a Golden Handshake”
JT: “Yeah – but I’ve admitted I was wrong. Let’s move on”
LC: “So it was wrong to take the Golden Handshake”
JT: “No, I admit it was wrong of me to PROMISE not to take one”
LC:
March 17th, 2005 at 9:20 am
“No, I admit it was wrong of me to PROMISE not to take one”
That is good! Hee hee.
March 17th, 2005 at 3:23 pm
Contrary to the delusional headlines, he is far from ‘cleared’ – the IRD have yet to rule. And to be honest, I can’t see them turning a blind eye to $300k of undeclared income (they’ll chase a paperboy to the ends of the earth for $5 after all). While the present Government may be hell-bent on pussifying the Police, the Defence forces, and the Justice system, I doubt they have any intention of doing it to the taxman!