Hon Pete Hodgson
MP for Dunedin North

28 October 2009 Media Statement
English still has case to answer

Labour welcomes the Auditor General’s report.

“The Auditor General has confirmed that Mr English does have a pecuniary interest ‘when the arrangement was explicitly based on a view that he did not have an interest’,” Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson said today.

“That means he should never have received the housing allowance.

“It also means that his decision to pay the money back was not voluntary. We now know he had to.

“Furthermore, most New Zealanders would think that if you have a house in a family trust, you have a financial interest in it.

“Yet Bill English, as Minister of Finance, claimed otherwise for months and signed a declaration to that effect.

“The truth is, he rearranged his finances, got legal advice that suited his needs and this has been highlighted by the Auditor General.

“There are also unanswered questions that do not fall within the Auditor General’s scope about how the criteria that were created for Mr English’s unique case came about.” Pete Hodgson said.

ENDS

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