Now we have guilty verdicts, when will NZ media call this out for the Chinese attempt to influence our political system that it was?
So Jami-Lee was a bit too crazy with political revenge to be guilty then…
Mental health factor in former National MP Jami-Lee Ross’ not guilty verdict
Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross has been cleared of fraud charges over political donations in part because the judge agreed a sense of betrayal and mental breakdown could have led him to lie.
High Court Justice Ian Gault delivered his verdicts this week then released his decision detailing the reasons.
He said “given Mr Ross’ sense of betrayal and the mental health evidence” he could not rule out the possibility Ross was “so driven by a desire to take down Mr [Simon] Bridges that he lied in the most compelling way he could imagine, that is by falsely stating he had carried out Mr Bridges’ instructions.
“For these reasons, I am not sure that Mr Ross engaged in a fraudulent device, trick, or stratagem.”
…charming.
However we do have guilty verdicts from all the Chinese Businessmen involved here…
The Crown alleged three separate donations were split into smaller amounts among “sham donors” to avoid triggering the disclosure limit and to keep party officials, the Electoral Commission and the public in the dark about the identity of the true donor – businessman Yikun Zhang.
Ross and three businessmen – Yikun Zhang, Shijia (Colin) Zheng and Hengjia (Joe) Zheng – were charged by the Serious Fraud Office over donations made to the National Party in 2017 and 2018.
Justice Gault found Zhang not guilty in relation to the National Party donation in 2017 but guilty of the donation in 2018.
Colin Zheng was found guilty in relation to the 2017 and 2018 donation.
Joe Zheng was found guilty in relation to the 2018 donation and guilty of obstructing a Serious Fraud Office investigation.
The three businessmen also faced charges – alongside two men and a woman, who all have interim name suppression – over donations made to the Labour Party in 2017. Justice Gault found they were all not guilty in relation to that donation.
…now we have guilty verdicts, when will NZ media call this out for the Chinese attempt to influence our political system that it was?
What has astounded me most about this trial is the total agreement by all media to not focus on the 10 000 pound Panda Red Dragon Bear standing in the middle of the court room.
This was an attempt by the Chinese Government to directly buy influence in our domestic politics.
The media can dress it up as much as they like that it was just Chinese Business interests trying to buy access in NZ, but that would be a dangerously naive position to take.
The idea that these Chinese business interests were not informing China Government Officials that they had access to the purse strings of the two largest political parties in a Country China has keen interests in.
We can’t be this fucking stupid can we?
It’s like that moment Labour and National unanimously agreed to flush both their Chinese MPs because of their links to the Chinese Government.
It happened and no one mentioned it!
The same thing is happening now.
This donations scandal isn’t about the fine print of Electoral Law, it’s about the Chinese Government via Chinese proxies attempting to buy influence in the domestic politics of NZ!
The Left consider any criticism of China as xenophobic and the Right are too financially entangled with Chinese Business interests to say anything.
Newspapers won’t comment and journalists chose to focus on anything but the obvious influence of the Chinese Government in all of this.
If America had been caught attempting to influence politics like this, there would be an uproar, because it’s China no one rocks the boat!
The irony of using Chinese cameras to spy on Kiwis should make us all wince…
Questions raised about Chinese surveillance cameras used in NZ
Chinese surveillance cameras remain in wide use in New Zealand despite renewed controversy about them overseas.
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I still remember Simon Bridges (leader at the time) being in “I know nuthink” mode, stuttering, stammering and stumbling over a Chinese donor. Trying to say the guy wasn’t a member of the National Party. But he was to be going to the National ‘candidates’ school.’
Which you could always do while not even a signed up member of the party.
There was hint of paperwork being conveniently lost and so there being no proof the donor had actually signed up. Bridges was trying to not lie by answering questions which weren’t asked.
It’s sort of funny when all is done and dusted that Mr [Simon] Bridges was possibly a ‘victim of such a desire of J-L Ross to take down him down that Ross lied in a most compelling way he could by falsely stating he had carried out Mr Bridges’ instructions.’
The specifics involving Bridges lying in a most compelling way were not part of a legal case and so he could appear in court as a witness, all earnest and innocent looking. Inside he must’ve been thinking, “Phew! Got away with it.”
I remember the “recovered memory” mania, the leading questioning of children. So much hysteria. Ellis and his fellow workers dragged through hell. At the time it appeared to lack rationality, yet the Court convicted. Its now too late to admit it was wrong.
Looking back we were naive, that we had faith in common sense. That should have told us to look out, it was the beginning of “woke”.
Dem bigwig and former U.S sec of state …’when it comes to Noo Zeeland….we don’t even have to…ask.’