Day Month 2009 Media Statement
Murkiness remains over Richard Worth’s business interests

Internal Affairs Richard Worth’s self-inflicted misery continues after it was revealed today that he has a shareholding in yet another Indian-focused company despite assuring the media yesterday that ‘I have resigned from everything, absolutely everything’.

Under questioning in Parliament today from Labour’s Pete Hodgson, Mr Worth admitted to a shareholding in WSD Global Markets Ltd, a company owned substantially by Mr Riaz Patel, of the House of Patel.

‘This man hasn’t got anything right all week. He promised his Prime Minister on Monday that he would immediately sever his Indian links, but by Thursday hadn’t. He told the media that he has resigned from everything when he hadn’t’,” Pete Hodgson said.

“He hasn’t explained why today he is still a shareholder in the Indian Overseas Group, despite his colleague Tim Groser divesting his identical shareholding in February, and why he still holds shares in WSD Global Markets Ltd.

“At the heart of this issue is Dr Worth’s judgement. He hasn’t told the truth and he has not yet rid himself of the perception of a conflict of interest. It is as if he thinks that the rules that bind ministers somehow don’t apply to him.

“He has also declined to make public the receipts from his recent trip to India, which would settle allegations that he did not pay for all the trip. He hasn’t explained why the final costs haven’t been allocated, a month after the trip, especially when travel and accommodation invoices will have been generated in his personal name’.

“He seems unaware of media interest in his WSD shareholding over recent weeks, even though a ‘related entity’ owned substantially by Mr Riaz Patel was thrown out of the Cook Islands only on Thursday’.

“To cap of his week of self-inflicted misery, the Minister got picked up by Wikipedia for altering his own entry and told how to manage the conflict of interest he managed to create for himself.

“One hopes that Dr Worth is able to take advice on his judgement over the weekend. The opposition will continue to make enquiries in the meantime,” Pete
Hogdson said.

ENDS

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