New Zealand's National Party leader and Prime Minister-elect John Key celebrates a landslide victory at the National election party during New Zealand's general election in Auckland September 20, 2014.
New Zealand's National Party leader and Prime Minister-elect John Key celebrates a landslide victory at the National election party during New Zealand's general election in Auckland September 20, 2014. Reuters/Nigel Marple

New Zealand’s ruling National party is facing the heat of opposition on the Mike Sabin issue, who was a ruling National Party MP and resigned his seat recently. He quit for “personal problems,” after being investigated by the police on a complaint of assault.

The opposition is up in arms that Sabin was allowed to preside a select committee meeting on law and order despite the police investigation against him. On Wednesday, Government was on the defensive on questions raised by the opposition in the Parliament whether the Prime Minister and some of his minister had advance information that the MP was facing probe. The ministers closed ranks and feigned ignorance about any such advance information on the identity of the person being investigated.

However, 3 News reports at least two ministers were warned before the election that an unnamed MP was being investigated by police. It was also noted the very mention of Sabin evoked a stock-standard response from the Prime Minister: “I've got no comment to make on those matters.” Former Police Minister Anne Tolley, Police Minister Michael Woodhouse and former Social Development Minister Paula Bennett also refused to comment.

Probe in August

The news report said the probe against the MP started in August 2014 and the police commissioner did alert two ministers that an investigation into an unnamed MP is on, though apparently no name was given. Months later, the Police Minister was informed that the unnamed MP was Sabin. In December, the PM, too, was updated.

But the opposition does not believe that Mr Key was kept in the dark. They are raising the big question whether Mr Key was really informed or not that an unnamed MP was being investigated before the elections in September.

Mr Key’s denial as a show of innocence has been contradicted by Labour leader Andrew Little, who said it was inconceivable that a minister would receive a report from the Police Commissioner that an MP is under investigation and he would not let the Prime Minister know about it.

Parliament’s Integrity

Though Mr Key is reiterating that only recently he learned that Sabin was facing personal issues and that led to his resignation on Dec. 1. But Labour leader Little said it was strange that Sabin was allowed to chair a law and order select committee meeting two days after quitting. He called it a severe conflict of interest.

Little said it displayed a "cavalier attitude" by the Government towards parliamentary propriety and was a grave oversight of the police, reports Radio NZ. He said people wanted to know how the institutions of Parliament including select committees are operating. He said they have to be maintained in a way that sustains the public confidence on them.

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