EX-MP ordered to pay under threat of jail
Former National MP Aaron Gilmore says he has made the payments necessary to prevent the threat of a potential jail term.
Gilmore was the subject of a determination by the Employment Relations Authority connected to his company, Mighty Rocket Properties.
In October, former employee Amanda High sought a compliance order over a settlement reached in August.
On December 6, Gilmore was ordered to pay what he owed, as well as an additional penalty.
Failure to do so by December 20 meant Gilmore could have faced up to three months’ prison and a fine of $40,000.
When contacted by Stuff, Gilmore said he had paid the outstanding balance, narrowly avoiding the potential for further court action.
However, Greg Lloyd, the lawyer for High, said Gilmore had not made the payment in full.
‘‘Since the first settlement he has paid a total of $19,000. That takes care of the compensation amount but he hasn’t paid everything,’’ Lloyd said.
There was $10,000 outstanding, he said. ‘‘If he doesn’t pay in full by December 20 then he will be in breach and we will progress further.’’
This is not the first time Gilmore has made headlines. He was derided in 2013 for being rude to a waiter at a Hanmer Springs hotel during a National Party conference and demanding: ‘‘Do you know who I am?’’ He threatened to have the then-prime minister Sir John Key intervene to get the waiter sacked.
The list MP was forced to resign after it was revealed he had lied to Key about his behaviour.
Gilmore then sent text messages threatening ‘‘revenge’’ against people he felt had been involved in his political downfall.
In 2010, the MP also faced questions over embellishments in his CV, including his claim that he was a member of the CFA Institute in the United States.
Mighty Rocket Group, incorporated in 2008, listed itself online as a financial adviser and investor for ‘‘organisations that are facing significant growth, challenges and opportunities’’.
High, a former employee of Mighty Rocket, lodged a personal grievance case against Gilmore earlier this year.
The two parties reached a settlement and Gilmore was ordered to pay High a total of $29,000 and legal costs.
However, by October, Gilmore had paid only $4700.
During the course of the subsequent authority meeting, member Trish Mackinnon found Gilmore had entered the earlier settlement in bad faith and had no plans to pay according to the agreed schedule.
Mackinnon’s determination included the order to pay the remaining sum from the previous case, a $6000 penalty for his failure to comply and $4500 towards High’s legal costs.