Inquiry not needed— Key
A further inquiry into Government spying on Megaupload millionaire Kim Dotcom is unnecessary, says Prime Minister John Key, and he has dismissed suggestions the situation should be handled in the same way as his ‘‘teapot tapes’’ complaint.
The Green Party has asked police to investigate the Government Communications Security Bureau’s (GCSB) actions in the lead-up to the arrest of the tycoon over his file-sharing website.
Greens co- leader Russel Norman said a report into the incident by Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Paul Neazor clearly concluded the GCSB’s actions were illegal, something Mr Key has also publicly acknowledged.
Speaking to media in Auckland yesterday, Mr Key said the Green Party’s suggestion sounded like ‘‘a bit of a stunt’’.
‘‘At the end of the day there’s a serious issue here and we [have] addressed that issue . . . and I think most New Zealanders would see that I am very unhappy about the way my ministry has performed.
‘‘I expect better and I’ll be getting better out of them in the future. But the simple facts of life are that they suffered what can only be described as a massive brain-fade by one person who actually reviewed the file.
‘‘That’s wrong and it shouldn’t have happened but people do make mistakes.’’
Dr Norman said the GCSB’s illegal spying had parallels with the ‘‘teapot tapes‘‘affair, when Mr Key’s conversation with Act’s Epsom candidate John Banks at a Newmarket cafe during last year’s election campaign was taped by a member of the media.
‘‘Mr Key kicked up an almighty fuss and had police raid media outlets to make sure the tape wasn’t released,’’ said Dr Norman. ‘‘If Prime Minister Key really feels so strongly about a person’s right to privacy, then he should back my call for the police to investigate the illegal surveilling of New Zealand residents by a government spy agency.’’
The GCSB is not allowed to spy on New Zealand residents, but Mr Key said it wasn’t a case where the GCSB thought it could get away with illegal activities.
— APNZ