“Ministers spend our money on booze, porn, spas, golf and flowers”. (Dom Post 11 June). MPs can lose their jobs if convicted of a criminal offence that attracts a prison sentence of three months or more.
“The question is has any of these [credit card spending] acts come within the purview of the Crimes Act?” former Labour party MP and lawyer Mr John Tamihere told the media.
Ministers who have rorted taxpayers by charging their ministerial credit cards for viewing sleaze porn movies in hotel rooms, purchasing flowers and massages for a homosexual partner, and indulging themselves with much bigger ticket items, should face scrutiny within the purvue of the Crimes Act, suggests Mr Tamihere.
Theft as a public servant is how most New Zealanders view the actions of Shane Jones MP and other MPs who have rorted the system while serving as Ministers. Major employers such as Flectcher Building and Telecom have confirmed through their respective spokespersons that the misuse of company credit cards in this way in their busineses would lead to offending employees being dismissed or disciplined. Just paying the stolen money back is just not sufficient ‘punishment’. (Note: In the UK the former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith lost her job after revelations that her husband had charged one porn movie to taxpayers).
And what about the free interest on the purchase of these these sleazy ministers have garnered for themselves?