"The National Party, acting for political purposes, is using taxpayer resources to have a fight with a private citizen. This is abuse of power and it is also illegal,” Mr Peters says.
The Attorney General cannot claim court costs from the cameraman at the centre of the teacup tape court case because the case does not involve the government – just the National and ACT parties, NZ First leader Winston Peters says.
Following news that the government is seeking around $13,000 from cameraman Bradley Ambrose as costs for work done in relation to Mr Ambrose's application to the High Court for a determination on whether the taping of a conversation between National Party leader John Key and ACT's then-Epsom candidate John Banks was legal, Mr Peters says legal wires have been crossed.
The case was mistakenly taken up by the government’s own legal system when it should have simply involved lawyers for John Key and John Banks, he says.
“This case happened during an election campaign when the National Party leader met an ACT party candidate to stitch up a deal for the Epsom electorate. It had nothing to do with an affair of state or anything related to the office of prime minister."
“What has happened is that the National Party, acting for political purposes, is using taxpayer resources to have a fight with a private citizen. This is abuse of power and it is also illegal,” Mr Peters says.
