The Liu trial
May 7th, 2012 at 1:01 pm by David FarrarMichael Field reports at Stuff:
A millionaire naturalised Chinese New Zealander who used senior political connections to win citizenship has gone on trial in the High Court, Auckland, today on five charges linked to claims he created a false identity.
In a case that has been before the court for nearly two years, Yong Ming Yan, 41, has pleaded not guilty to five charges over claims he created a false identity in China to get citizenship.
Justice Timothy Brewer is hearing the case without a jury.
Originally Yan was charged with 12 offences but these, the court heard, had been reduced due to issues with evidence from China.
Yan, also known as William Yan, Bill Liu and Yang Liu, arrived in 2001.
He got citizenship with letters of support and lobbying from Labour’s Dover Samuels and Chris Carter as well as National’s Pansy Wong.
The Department of Internal Affairs opposed citizenship saying with two passports, two names and two birth dates they did not know who he was. Then Immigration Minister David Cunliffe over-ruled and granted citizenship.
I might be wrong but I thought it was Shane Jones who granted the citizenship, not Cunliffe. It was an Internal Affairs issue.
What we have never ever heard is why Jones ignored official advice to grant citizenship to someone whom he knew was facing criminal charges overseas and had multiple identities. Samuels, Carter and Wong did not know of this when they advocated for him so I don’t see a major issue there. But Shane Jones did know and granted him citizenship, with Samuels presenting it to him in the Labour Caucus Room.
Tags: Bill Liu, Shane Jones, Yang Liu
May 7th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
I wonder if he ever donated to Labour ???? Just saying…
[DPF: Yes he did. he donated to National also off memory. The key thing again is why did the Minister approve the application knowing of the officials advice]
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
burt @1:53
Surely not? Are you seriously suggesting…….?
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Don’t worry. Campbell Live will do a fair and balanced investigation into this.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 2:28 pm
EWS
Bwaa hahaha.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
You’re quite right DPF. Shane Jones approved the citizenship against the advice of DIA officials, who had serious and well-founded concerns as to Bill Liu’s character. Rick Barker had handed the decision over to Jones as Barker knew Liu personally.
But nine months prior to citizenship being granted, David Cunliffe had been asked by Immigration NZ officials to revoke Liu’s NZ residence due to concerns over him holding multiple passports and using multiple identities. Cunliffe refused to do that. Had he done so, the whole issue of citizenship would have been moot.
Labour has been accusing the government of cronyism quite a bit lately. This case has come back to haunt them at a most inopportune time.
http://keepingstock.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/who-will-be-nervous-today.html
@ Burt; yes, he did, in handsome sums.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Don’t worry – Trademe Trev will soon be on to this from the moral high ground he has been spending so much time on lately.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Guilty.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
@ thedavincimode – innocent until proven guilty; Bill Liu that is. But David Cunliffe and Shane Jones have some very pointed questions to answer.
I’ve been following this story ever since Wishart broke it when I was still a novice blogger. If you go to Keeping Stock and type in Bill Liu in the search box at the top left, you’ll see some of the chronology of the case. It’s good too that Liu’s being tried by a Judge alone so there won’t be a jury to get baffled with bullshit!
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Does he know Jenny Shipley?
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 7:00 pm
KS.
Vote:Nah, just a judge. Is that any better?
May 7th, 2012 at 7:05 pm
KS
I wish I shared your confidence. I believe they’re now getting them (judges) by advertising on Trademe.
BTW, taking any notice at all of anything the little creep shock horror probe Wishart says is not exactly a giant step on the path to credibility. Keep quiet about that.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
“Liu employs 30 people at his popular Chinese restaurant, Jade Terrace in Manukau, which has hosted election fundraising dinners for Labour candidate Raymond Huo, National’s Pansy Wong and, yesterday, Act’s Kenneth Wang. ”
Vote:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10538260
May 7th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
I don’t abide by most of what Wishart says or does davinci, but the fact that Liu is facing trial right now suggests that he was on the money with this one. He had some pretty credible sources from withing the Dept of Internal Affairs, probably prompted by their outrage at a clearly political decision that went against citizenship guidelines and policy.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Liu reminds one of Border Security (7:30 Mondays TV1), one sees some pretty dodgy Chinese gentlemen there. I imagine them having one foot in the Tong and the other in the National Party.
Vote:May 7th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
The only party he didn’t have dealings with is NZ First: that say’s something.
Vote:[Ans: We need a NZ First to counter balance the hogs eating the Chinese carrots]
May 8th, 2012 at 8:13 am
@ hj – Winston didn’t need Liu’s money, he was flash with cash from the racing industry, Owen Glenn and the Vela Brothers, including a helicopeter (which he denied), despite his denials that NZ First too money from “big business”. Peters is just as big a hypocrite as any of them.
Vote:May 8th, 2012 at 8:21 am
Justice Brewer is the ideal judge for this case.
Vote:A former crown prosecutor.
Although the crown will have to proove the case against Liu to the correct standard.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
I confess I was not surprised by the way that Checkpoint, on National radio, covered the case last night.
Vote:They told us that he had received recommendations from ex-Labour MP and ex_National MP Pansy Wong. They then said that he had donated money to the National and the Labour parties.
They never mentioned at all the David Cunliffe or Shane Jones involvements AFTER his fishy background was exposed by the department.
Neither did the mention Chris Carter. Is National radio still in hock to the Rainbow lobby of the Labour party?
Isn’t it amazing how a supposedly public broadcaster can be quite so politically biased?