Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
7 MAY 2016

Panama Papers: John Doe Reference of Key Not Accidental

New Zealanders will be alarmed that Prime Minister John Key is the only current leader of a nation named by the Panama Papers whistleblower in his manifesto statement, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“Using the alias ‘John Doe’ he states: ‘Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand has been curiously quiet about his country’s role in enabling the financial fraud Mecca that is the Cook Islands’.

“The reference to Mr Key is not accidental.

“Mr Key had no explanation today when questioned and deviated from the real issue - why has the government allowed New Zealand to be used by the world’s mega wealthy, tax evaders, scoundrels and money launderers to cook the books in New Zealand and falsely report back to their country of origin.

“Mr Key knows full well that the establishment of foreign trusts in New Zealand under his watch has become a torrent on the back of our once clean reputation and lack of a requirement to name the trust beneficiary.

“We are now being named alongside well known tax havens that include Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Niue, British Virgin Islands, Panama and Bermuda.

“Mr Key has trotted out excuses about waiting for the OECD to approve action, while Australia and the UK have cracked down.

“New Zealanders should be able to expect better of him and his government rather than obfuscation, evasion and implausible denial.”

John Doe manifesto

ENDS

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