Criminal prosecution against PM filed in court

A criminal prosecution against Prime Minister John Key has been filed in Auckland District Court today.

The case, brought by serial litigant Graham McCready, will use a DVD of Hollywood movie The Wolf of Wall Street as part of the evidence against Mr Key.

Court documents were sworn into the court today, including a copy of the movie, naming Mr Key among 10 defendants of 22 proposed charges.

As well as Mr Key the list includes Detective Inspector Mark Benefield, three other police officers, two civil servants, a QC and a judicial officer.

Some of the charges proposed by Mr McCready's New Zealand Private Prosecution Service relate to former Act Party MP John Banks.

Mr McCready claims the police failed to properly investigate the politician, under Mr Key's instruction.

Mr McCready laid a prosecution against Banks after police decided not to charge him over his 2010 mayoral campaign donation return. He was later found guilty of knowingly filing a false return over donations from internet millionaire Kim Dotcom that were declared anonymous.

The activities depicted in The Wolf of Wall Street were "very relevant" to the case, as they reflected Mr Key's actions, he said, branding the Prime Minister a "rogue currency trader" who had applied his "practices to his daily dealings in Government".

Mr Key had aided and abetted Mr Banks' declaration of a false electoral return by "wilful blindness", he said.

He was confident Mr Key would appear in court to defend the charges.