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Dotcom Case Shows Money Can Buy Anything From National
Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand
First Leader
09 March 2012
Dotcom Case Shows Money Can Buy Anything From National
Rt Hon Winston Peters says the case of the convicted German national Kim Dotcom shows that a National cabinet minister broke the immigration rules and sold New Zealand residency for “ten million pieces of silver”.
Documents just released show that Immigration officials knew Dotcom had convictions in Germany, was "persona non grata" in Thailand and had been convicted on eight business charges in Hong Kong in December 2010 just a month after being granted conditional residency in New Zealand.
Mr Peters says DotCom paid $10 million in government bonds for the investor plus category and this got him past Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman despite Justice Minister Simon Power declining an OIO approval because he had concerns about Dotcom’s character.
“This shows that some people in the National Party are prepared to accept anybody from anywhere if they bring their cheque books.
“This makes us wonder who else National is letting into the country through the back door.
“It is especially dangerous because the documents show the application was kept secret to avoid further media speculation or attention.
“It’s time to take a hard look at what immigration officials are up to and what the National Party is doing behind the scenes to bring these undesirables into New Zealand,” says Mr Peters.
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