MP Taito Philip Field, pictured here after he took leave from Parliament, is under investigation by police. Picture / Mark Mitchell
Police have raided one of Taito Phillip Field's Samoan houses in order to photograph the work of a Thai tiler at the centre of allegations against the Labour MP.
Mr Field is on indefinite paid leave from Parliament while police investigate his dealings with Asian overstayers amid allegations
he personally gained from providing immigration assistance.
Last month police raided the MP's parliamentary office, his Mangere electorate office, and his Auckland home.
A police spokeswoman today told NZPA police had executed a search warrant on a house owned by Mr Field in Samoa.
The main purpose was to photograph the house's interior.
She could not provide any further details.
One of the allegations facing Mr Field is that he agreed to help Thai tiler Sunan Suriwan with a visa application in return for Mr Suriwan doing tiling work on one of his houses in Samoa.
Mr Field has said Mr Suriwan did some work on his house, but without his knowledge or prior arrangement
Mr Field's lawyer Satiu Simativa Perese today confirmed to NZPA the house police raided was the one where Mr Suriwan had done some tiling.
Police had informed him today, immediately before they executed the search warrant.
He said he told police Mr Field would have been happy to open the house up for them.
"Mr Field has nothing to hide."
Police had told him they preferred executing search warrants as it "maintained the integrity of their investigation".
He said Mr Field, who is in Auckland and yet to be interviewed by police, was frustrated at not being able to work as an MP, but was comfortable with the time the police investigation was taking.
"I guess it's a sifting process. If you have an allegation or claim you test it to see if it's credible," he said.
"Obviously there seems to be a fair amount of testing."
Mr Field was happy police were being thorough.
In their searches last month police copied the contents of Mr Field's computers and took away documentation.
Mr Field has also waived his legal privilege allowing letters from lawyers to be also looked at.
Mr Suriwan, who has made a raft of allegations against Mr Field, is still in Samoa after his visa application was turned down.
- NZPA
