KEY POINTS:
One of the men behind a trust set up to help 2001 Panmure RSA attack survivor Susan Couch is defending a donation made by New Zealand First as "above board", and insists there is nothing sinister in the process.
Brian Henry, a trustee of The Susan Couch -
Crime Victims Charitable Trust yesterday responded to questions about the controversial $78,000 donation by offering to show bank accounts to the media.
Questions were raised when it was discovered that the trust for Ms Couch was not even officially set up when New Zealand First leader Winston Peters claimed in June he had already donated all the $158,000 his party misspent at the last election to charities.
Mr Peters confirmed late last week that about half of that - the $78,000 - went to the Susan Couch trust.
Mr Henry - who has a close relationship with Mr Peters - said yesterday that the money was held in a lawyer's trust account until the Susan Couch trust was set up properly and incorporated in September.
The trust account was that of Dennis Gates, another trustee of the Susan Couch trust and also a solicitor for Mr Peters.
Mr Henry said the money sat in the lawyer's trust account and was transferred with interest earned to the Susan Couch account about two and a half weeks ago.
"There's no big mystery about this thing - it's all above board and it's a brilliant cause," Mr Henry said.
Mr Henry has been helping Ms Couch's legal fight and acting for her without charge.
New Zealand First has refused to name the charities it gave a total of $158,000 to after its original attempt to give the money to the Starship Foundation became an embarrassment when the cheque was returned. Then another charity spurned a donation.
Mr Henry said he asked for the money for the Susan Couch trust.
"Heaps of idiots turned down donations so I rang up Winston and said 'hey, I've got a charitable trust here which won't turn you down'," he said.
Speaker Margaret Wilson will not release a letter with details of the donations given by New Zealand First but yesterday National leader John Key said she should.
Mr Henry said Ms Couch had been keen for the trust to help others also, so it was for victims of crime in similar circumstances.
It had been planned that there would be an official public launch, he said.
The plan now was to hold a public launch where there would be an 0900 phone line announced for donations.
The setting up of the trust was not yet complete and final clearance from Inland Revenue was required.
