On 17th October 2018 former National MP Jami-Lee Ross emerged from the Victoria Street police station in Wellington after filing a complaint on leader Simon Bridges.
The complaint concerned political donations.
Among his allegations, Mr Ross said Mr Bridges had knowingly filed a false election return which noted a donation from a group called the Cathedral Club.
That donation was later removed from Mr Bridges’ return.
Mr Ross also complained Mr Bridges had asked him to split a $100,000 donation from businessman Zhang Yikun into smaller parts, so it was below the threshold where it would have to be made public.
After emerging from the station he told media the police will be investigating the complaint.
Shortly afterwards the media confirmed there was a police investigation – but then mysteriously fell silent about the investigation for around 100 days.
Nobody in the public knew and still do not know anything about the progress of that investigation.
Which raises questions.
Like what the fuck is going on?
Why is this taking so long?
Are the media asleep?
Fran O’Sullivan wrote on 26 January 2019 :
“Despite the public front National has adopted on the donations issue, it has still not satisfactorily dealt with Ross’ claim that he was effectively asked to wash a $100,000 donation from Yikun Zhang by ensuring it was split into smaller amounts.”
Fran also wrote about the police investigation into electoral matters :
” National is not going to wash its dirty linen in public but the allegations their former party whip raised are of sufficient merit for police to finalise that particular probe.”
The Police Media Centre responds to enquiries from journalists and proactively gives information on investigations, operations and all aspects of police work.
The media team has access to most of the main information systems used by Police.
It’s now about 103 days since the complaint was laid with police and during that time media have had nothing to say about it’s progress despite the high public interest in the issues at stake.
No journalist in New Zealand has reported anything about about when Police expect the investigation will be finalised – nor have the police provided any update about it to media.
No journalist even reported that Police had made no comment or anything at all.
This was a super massive black hole.
Or was everyone too busy?
Political journalists were more busy writing endless headlines and articles about Karel Sroubek than reporting about possible foreign influence within our electoral system.
The issue of a foreign nation exerting political influence was raised by Anne-Marie Brady in her policy paper “Magic Weapons” last year and it has a very high degree of public interest.
Notably the investigation into the break in into Anne-Marie’s home in February 2018 is still ongoing as well – about a year down the track – although police have said they have positive lines of inquiry.
Police has the largest demand of any individual Government department and can receive up to 200 media enquiries a day.
So maybe they are just busy – or maybe this most pertinent issue runs way deeper down a rabbit hole than we all fear?
Suddenly National have become concerned with Nick Smith going public saying he wants reform to the electoral system.
The timing of this new concern may be a foreshadowing of what is about to emerge :
“It is obvious that there is sufficient underlying truth to Ross’ claims on this score to have provoked senior National MPs to call for change.” – wrote Fran.
Nothing happens in politics without a reason and the “underlying truth” may cast a very bad light upon National unless they speak out now to the contrary.
The fingerprints are all over this as Nick Smith makes loud noises “out of the blue ” in close proximity to the chopping block.
Maybe one of the public should ask the Police Media centre for an update – because it seems our MSM have other headlines to chase?
Gerard Otto is an activist and writer
I just assume that the police work on behalf of the National Party
+1000
This is almost identical to the “investigation” on Mark Sabine, where the police were able to keep the investigation going until it simply lapsed through the Statute of Limitations (if I have remembered correctly)
yes this appalling why is our media not highlighting the main story which is the sarah dowie saga
why is this private matter any concern of the public. If all the politicans who had had affairs were stood down we would have a small muster
Oh the Police they are on the right we all know this. They are the ones who illegally went into Nicky Hagar’s house and took stuff.
Police are too busy issuing speeding tickets to gather more revenue.
Yes, finally, at last, someone in the MSM, Fran O’Sullivan, has redirected the focus back where it should never have strayed – on the the 100,000 donation and cash for candidates! Let’s hear it!! Absolutely foreign powers should not be able to donate to NZ political party’s or request candidates for cash, why would that in any way be thought to be legit? By anyone? Points to a big, hidden donation system that sounds completely illegal. This is where the police focus should be, not that ridiculously toxic text message.
Could be the donation buying Natz list places issues have been dropped down Steven Joyce’s black hole by the Natz police force, in the hope it will disappear completely with no more questions asked!
“What donation issue was that then? Nothing to see here. Move along now … “
Meh.
Ok. If you must then…
” Lets Do This! “, “Lets Shake It Up and Sort It Out.”
Or?
Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…
A labour party MP, a National Party MP and a Green Party MP go into a bar.
The bartender asks ” Who’s who and who? then”
You’re right. There’s nothing funny about that.
simon bridges and jlr? Meh. Two little fleas. Who cares?
jacinda ‘lets do this’ adern? Who cares? She has a lovely wee baby, a seemingly nice fellow and so Jacinda? WTF? Why? The money?? Well, that I can understand.
winston peters? Who cares? peters? you’ve done what you set out to do. You made an incredible contribution to nothing by doing nothing while convincing your cult-like followers that you, in fact, do everything. Amazing! And well done. You’re mate don brash will be very happy with you.
The green party? Are they like their salads? All greens and no dressing? Is it me? Or are they the very most boring fuckers ever seen or ( barely) heard of ? I saw a fellow go into a 1980’s presbyterian church with a brown roof once. He had his jersey tucked in to his pants . The Greens are even more boring than that. Do they fart? Then? Does it smell of moth balls and hair cream?
The reason why I come here and rant and foam is simply to let off steam. The Daily Blog is a pressure valve. And, a great place to watch for serious dissenters and radicles one would also think. When we thinking people must look at the familiar as if it were unfamiliar to get some perspective on the inane? What do we see with the Greens? Would ‘nothing’ be correct?
When those jets go overhead spraying out that chemical which surely causes now such bleak sperm to idly strike out towards the entirely complacent egg? Why couldn’t they stir in a little good E too? For me. I mean c’mon? I’ve suffered enough.
At an early age, when I was all but a kid, I had to make some serious adult decisions, and like most kids who must make adult decisions, I fucked it up. I chose a ‘calling’ that dropped me off a cliff. The bnz in Timaru, specifically the manager of the bnz in Timaru, at that time, swindled us proper. We lost (or more correctly had stolen from us) our farm then I’ve watched my mum die, my dad die and my aunt die of broken hearts, I’ve watched as our country has been swindled on a level that was complimented on by Hong Kong Bankers out of nothing but sheer admiration… I’ve watched on as an outstanding country like ours has been fumbled by buffoons in suits to sate the perversions of our cadre of old private wealth vampires for far too many years now.
And now? I come here to this Post and I see john tamihere smiling like a tub full of yogurt into which is stuck a pair of false teeth. He has boag, fletcher and McCarten on his side, apparently. so. yay.
Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…Meh…!
I’m outa here. You’re on your own. Fuck it. I can’t take this any longer. You win. You beige, you boring, you feeble minded, you cunning and crafty, you deviants, you liars, you cheats, swindlers and grifters. This isn’t my country at all. It’s all yours. -: ( That’s the best I can do to make the middle finger out of what I had at hand. So to speak. )
There are a few of you I’ll certainly miss.
100% Cleangreen. Nitrium. ANDREA, DJS, and the many others who come here whilst living in hope and seeming to enjoy my writing and opinions as a salve on the ouches they chuck at us. Good on you’s but honestly? Nu Zillind? It’s a rich, corrupt little shit hole without the class. It’s always been an appendage of conservative Scotland and her bastard neighbours, The Brits. The cruelties and perversions with which our politicians delight in hammering us with is testimony to that. No one should be without a home in NZ. No one should watch as their kids go to school hungry. No one poor person should have their teeth pulled out because it’s more cost efficient. It’s a great, great pity for us that the French or the Dutch decided to run for it under a hail of spears. Go to Akaroa and see what I mean? The French are gone but their spirit remains.
We’re fucked. They fucked us. And they’re winning and I can say that with some confidence because they’re here now. On the daily blog.
BTW. The church had the brown roof. The man with his jersey tucked in didn’t take in with him, a brown roof. Just to clarify.
103 days will become 1023 days and so on……….
NZ is a ” right wing controlled country ” never mind that we had an election that gave us the current government it does not make a blind bit of difference because the police force and the media are only interested in two things.
1 Bury anything that damages the National party and their interests.
2 Fill the news cycle every day with negative corrosive stories about any ” perceived ” left wing issue or cock up and do it to death !
The media is more interested in people tooting their horns in a tunnel in Auckland than any National MP’s transgression of the law.
Correction a Wellington tunnel
Aucklander’s are busy going no where at 10 MPH.
yes Mosa and we will keep tooting cause we are tooting for a reason I have walked in that tunnel it stinks and it is too hot and too much engine emission and I would never do it again its alright if your on a bike as its quick but walking its a no no and we pay rates now they are telling us what to do.
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