Act Party leader John Banks will be summonsed to court to
face a private prosecution over his alleged failure to record
donations to his mayoralty campaign.
John Banks gave detectives investigating his political
donations a three-hour interview, insisted it be kept private
and is now trying to blame police for withholding it.
Prime Minister John Key is facing calls to dump John Banks as
a minister after a police investigation cleared him of
electoral finance offences but found he personally solicited
large donations he later declared as anonymous.
Act MP John Banks has been cleared of any charges relating to
donations to his 2010 mayoral campaign which he declared as
anonymous despite police finding he personally solicited them
and, in one case, physically received the cheque.
Kim Dotcom's head of security told his boss that John Banks
asked for a political donation and said he would be a "very
good friend'' once he was back in Parliament, according to an
email.
The decision this week of Local Government Minister David
Carter to request advice from officials on funding rules for
local body elections is welcome.
Questions have been raised over another donation to the
defunct mayoral campaign of Act New Zealand leader John
Banks, which was listed as anonymous yet was made out for a
specific amount and purpose.
