‘Stalemate’ in Pryde’s case

NZ Foreign Affairs Minister quizzes suspended DPP’s approach

SUSPENDED Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde’s plea for help from the New Zealand government seems to be at a stalemate. When queried about NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters questioning Mr Pryde’s intentions to approach several people aside from the NZ government, Mr Pryde did not want to make any further comments. He only said that “he was seeking clarification from the New Zealand Government on their official position”.

In Japan last week, Mr Peters spoke to this newspaper about Mr Pryde’s letter which was addressed to him, the New Zealand Law Society, Fiji Law Society and New Zealand ambassador to Fiji Charlotte Darlow.

Mr Peters questioned Mr Pryde’s reasoning for sending the letter to other parties.

“He sent me a copy and sent it to everyone else at the same time,” Mr Peters said while attending the PALM 10 meeting in Tokyo.

“What do you think of somebody who writes to you to ask for help and sends to everybody else at the same time?”

On July 11, the suspended DPP sent the letter to Mr Peters, NZLS, FLS, Ms Darlow and sent an electronic mail of the same letter to members of the local media.

In the letter, Mr Pryde raised several concerns about the Fiji Government’s move to stop a few of his superannuation payments which he claimed had affected his ability to defend himself against several allegations of misconduct.

In response to the letter, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka had called on the Judicial Services Commission to reinstate the payments while Mr Pryde worked on his case which has yet to be heard by a Tribunal established by the JSC.

This newspaper has made several attempts to get comments from the Secretary of the JSC and Solicitor-General Ropate Green for confirmation on the reinstatement of Mr Pryde’s superannuation and when a Tribunal would be set to hear Mr Pryde’s case.

Questions remained unanswered when this publication went to press.