Field tells court sure of innocence

Taito Phillip Field. Photo / Greg Bowker

Taito Phillip Field has strongly denied any wrongdoing telling a High Court jury he was "clear in his mind" that he was not guilty of bribery or corruption.

Field said there was no link between immigration assistance he gave to Thai immigrants and "whatever happened next". Processes in place at his electorate office was totally independent and impartial from the immigration side of things, he said.

"I'm clear in my mind there's no connection between helping people and this work."

Field said he'd been "foolish" trying to get payment from Thai workers [in order to get accurate records] but he'd been battling attacks in the media and was "fighting for his political life".

His family, including grandchildren, had faced criticism once the allegations of wrongdoing surfaced in the media.

Field was visiting Samoa when he heard about a news report in New Zealand that alleged Thais working on one of his properties were living in poverty.

He asked one of the workers - tiler Sunan Siriwan - if he had spoken to lawyer, Olinda Woodroffe. Mr Siriwan told him he hadn't spoken to her.

Field told the jury hearing bribery and corruption claims at the High Court at Auckland this morning the reports made "all sorts of false claims about their situation".

He is defending 12 counts of bribery and corruption as an MP and 23 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The trial, which began in April, is into its final weeks.

Asked by his lawyer Paul Davison QC if he told Mr Siriwan to deny he worked at his house Field said: "No. There were no words to that effect."

He also denied telling the Thai people that he would be "locked up" if they spoke to police and gestured to them with his hands together, as if they were handcuffed. "That's a total fabrication...there was no such gesture or comments," he said.

The former Government minister told the court what he did say was while the police were investigating it wasn't appropriate for him to see them.

When it became apparent Mr Siriwan had spoken to an Auckland lawyer Field said he was upset - but didn't order him and his family to leave his daughter's house.

"They were looked after by our family...they didn't live in poverty, they lived rent free for more than a year and had food supplied."

He didn't tell them to pack up but wasn't happy with their "denials and telling lies about me".

Earlier, he said he gave Mr Siriwan $1000 after he was told they were running out of money and his son's school fees were due, a court has heard.

Mr Siriwan told him he was down to his last 300 tala and his son's school fees, which were about 450 tala.

Field said he found the claims "curious" because there was a "mountain of beer bottles" at the house and he knew Mr Siriwan was smoking every day.

When allegations of wrongdoing first surfaced he told his family and Thai friends to co-operate with police and tell the truth.

He denied telling them to fix their stories so they were all the same.

"What I can recall is telling them to tell the truth and by telling the truth is consistency.. I don't know how [Jinda Thaivichit] translated it."

However, he also told them not to volunteer information that they were not asked about.

Field will be cross-examined later today.