Barclay payment not the first; amounts should be paid
back.
20 JUNE 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In addition
to other parties using leaders' funds to hush former staff,
it appears the Todd Barclay episode is not the only time a
National Party leader has used taxpayers' money to prevent
legal action in relation to allegations of secret
recordings.
According to press conference transcripts from
March 2016, then Prime Minister John Key admitted that a
part of the settlement amounts relating to Bradley Ambrose
was paid for out of the leader's fund.
Jordan Williams,
Executive Director of the Taxpayers' Union, said: "Leader's
funds are for use by MPs to serve constituents — not to
hush former staff or make legal trouble go away."
"The
monies used for these secret payments should be paid back.
Now that he is leader, Bill English can draw a line in the
sand and set a higher standard for the use of taxpayer
money."
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