Spy Email Revelations Not About Kim Dotcom – It’s About New Zealand, Says Internet Party

The Internet Party says revelations of political pressure being brought to bear on immigration authorities dealing with Kim Dotcom’s residency application have moved beyond the personal to the constitutional.

The release to the New Zealand Herald of declassified emails between Security Intelligence Service agents raises the spectre of decisions being made that are inconsistent with New Zealand law, and at the behest of a foreign power, says Internet Party leader Laila Harré.

“These emails add to the already existing speculation that our immigration laws and procedures came second to the demands of another country’s government in this case.”

She believes that if the Immigration Service had followed normal procedure, the residency application by Kim Dotcom would not have landed on the Minister’s desk. It would have been frozen because of the FBI investigation into Mr Dotcom.

“These latest emails that have surfaced – extra to those disclosed more than a year ago – means that the Government can no longer avoid full scrutiny.”

Ms Harré said that an inquiry must examine whether our sovereign laws and sovereign control of New Zealand’s administrative processes have been compromised.

“That is a constitutional question that takes us well beyond the immediate issues relating to Kim Dotcom and it must be investigated.”

However, Ms Harré says would not have confidence in a ministerial or administrative inquiry overseen by this Government.

“We will now develop proposed terms of reference for a Royal Commission of Inquiry that would extend to the operations of our intelligence service – and the illegal spying on 88 New Zealanders – along with the issues presented by the these latest revelations.”

Ms Harré expects the new government to establish such an inquiry, with the Internet Party negotiating terms of reference with that government.

ENDS

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