Taxpayer foots the bill for MinFish blunder

The taxpayer will end up footing the bill for a Fisheries Ministry blunder that's seen the collapse of a case two years in the making, says National Party Fisheries spokesman Phil Heatley.

He's commenting after a Wellington District Court Judge dismissed charges against a couple at the centre of a high-profile paua case.

"It is unacceptable that the Ministry would take such a case to court without adequate evidence or preparation.

"To then claim it's part of 'a learning curve' is outrageous.

"The Ministry's legal bills have quadrupled in the past three years. This year the Ministry has already spent $1.5 million of taxpayers' money on lawyers or in court.

"When so much public money is being spent, we expect better results than this," says Mr Heatley.

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