Grant
ROBERTSON

Labour MP

18 March 2014 MEDIA STATEMENT
Judith Collins: lost in China or lost in translation?

Justice Minister Judith Collins’ inability today to answer basic questions about her visit to China shows she is still trying to hide her dealings with her husband’s company while on a taxpayer-funded trip, Labour MP Grant Robertson says.

“Judith Collins misled the Prime Minister and the public when she said she simply popped in to Oravida’s Shanghai office for a cup of tea on her way to the airport.

“In fact, the Minister had to drive 30km in the opposite direction from the airport. That is far from ‘popping in’.

“Judith Collins went out of her way for a pre-planned photo opportunity for her husband’s company, and she deliberately left details of it out of her report to Cabinet.

“From the beginning she has sought to mislead and not tell the full truth about her visit.

“The Minister also needs to come clean on who paid for the dinner she had in Beijing with Oravida boss Stone Shi and a Chinese border security official.

“Judith Collins has tried to claim it was a private dinner with Stone Shi. If Oravida paid then that adds to the impression this was a business dinner.

“Oravida had publicly stated they were having problems getting their products from New Zealand into China. Having a minister attend a dinner with a senior Chinese border control official raises obvious issues about a conflict of interest.

“Refusing to say who paid or identify who the official was or what his exact job entailed is further evidence Judith Collins has hidden the true extent of her dealings with her husband’s company.

“As a Minister her role is to act in the interests of all New Zealanders, not her and her friends. It’s time for John Key to show he has some standards for ministerial behaviour and take action against Judith Collins,” Grant Robertson says.

ENDS

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