Peters fires salvo at IPCA over Barclay
"There's not one law for the National Party and one for everyone else. I'm calling for the IPCA to give us a far more detailed explanation than what we have thus far.'' NZ First leader Winston Peters
NZ First leader Winston Peters is asking how ‘‘independent’’ the police watchdog is after it cleared police of any neglect of duty in their handling of an investigation into a secret recording by National MP Todd Barclay.
Last month the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) received a complaint from someone not personally involved in the case about the police handling of an investigation into Barclay.
He was forced to withdraw from contesting his Clutha-southland seat at the September general election, in a cloud of controversy amid allegations he made secret recordings of electorate staffer Glenys Dickson, and a brain-fade from Prime Minister Bill English who momentarily forgot Barclay had admitted making the recordings to him.
The police watchdog has decided not to pursue the complaint after being satisfied there was no misconduct or neglect by police.
But Peters said the seriousness of the allegations required ‘‘far more explanation that this’’.
Calls and emails from Stuff to the IPCA to get confirmation and an explanation as to why the police have been cleared have gone unanswered.
‘‘In my view, the police haven’t satisfactorily answered why they didn’t pursue the case,’’ Peters said.
‘‘They had complaints of a recording, they had a complainant and to the best of my knowledge we have not been told who they talked to or didn’t talk to.
‘‘But to say they’re satisfied there was no misconduct is an extraordinary statement to make,’’ Peters said.
In June, IPCA case resolution manager Sarah Goodall said the complaint came after renewed media interest in the case and a decision by the police to reopen their case into Barclay.
Barclay refused to co-operate with the original police investigation more than a year ago, which led to police closing the case saying they didn’t have enough evidence to continue pursuing it.
Peters said the fact police have reopened the case ‘‘begs the question’’ why they ever closed it.
‘‘There’s not one law for the National Party and one for everyone else.
‘‘I’m calling for the IPCA to give us a far more detailed explanation than what we have thus far.
‘‘Don’t forget the principal word in their name is independent,’’ he said.
Senior Labour MP Grant Robertson said the IPCA clearing the police ‘‘doesn’t change anything’’.
‘‘Bill English and Todd Barclay still have a lot of questions to answer and the police have reopened their investigation because of that,’’ he said.
Barclay is still under the spotlight, though he has fallen off the public radar since his resignation and has missed many public events, including MP’S visits to his electorate, and has been absent from Parliament and select committee meetings.
Barclay remains on his $165,000 a year backbencher’s salary, bringing home $3000 a week, and also receives travel and accommodation expenses.
Both English and deputy Paula Bennett have said they expect Barclay to show up to Parliament when the House is back sitting next week.
There are four sitting weeks left before Parliament rises for the election.