Winston Peters, caught out lying 2 weeks ago when email evidence confirmed that he and or his party, NZ First, had received donations from Owen Glenn, the billionaire from Monaco, denied the initial accusation revealed by Audrey Young from the NZ Herald.
This was after denials made by Peters earlier this year when secret donations from Glenn to the Labour Party were revealed.
On Friday 18 July came the bombshell that Peters said he found out from his lawyer "at 5.00pm that day" that Peters had indeed received money from Glenn for legal action taken by Peters after he challenged his big loss against National's Bill Clarkson, in the Tauranga electorate at the 2005 Election.
The twist with Peters though is that even after he was revealed as a liar the second time, himself, he now says because the money from Glenn was used to pay "an existing legal bill" it is neither he or his party that had received the donation:
Asked about pecuniary gain, Mr Peters told NZPA he did not believe he had benefited personally from the arrangement whereby his legal bills were paid by anonymous donors and he paid the shortfall.
Mr Henry(Peter's lawyer) concurred last night.
"There is nothing I am aware of where someone contributing towards a bill you have incurred needs to be declared."
Peters is in effect creating a "third entity", in the existing legal account outstanding, to dodge the fact that he was a beneficiary of Owen Glenn's largess. Legalese at its most immoral and repugnant, just like Peters stance over this matter.
What is even worse is that Peters, uncovered as a liar by Audrey Young is still being called a liar herself by Peters because she wont reveal the email evidence she has. Peters had contended last week that Young and the NZ Herald had "made it up" owed him an apology and should resign from the paper.
This kind of tough stance by Peters is characteristic of him and his political and legal past, in his long winded "winebox" saga especially. He has demanded jail, fines, apologies resignations and sackings against his political foes in the past, for imagined and actual corruption and lies.
It is a shame Winston Peters doesn't look in the mirror past his shallow facade.
Related Political Animal Reading
c Political Animal 2008, c Emmerson 2008
