Tamihere faces more questions

Fresh questions have emerged over statements in Parliament by Labour MP John Tamihere after new documents show he received the benefit of thousands of dollars from an account under scrutiny from the Serious Fraud Office.

Mr Tamihere told Parliament on November 3 that he received no personal benefit from Waipareira Trust transactions being investigated by the SFO.

But documents obtained by the Herald on Sunday show one of the payments under investigation by the SFO went into his election fund - Te Tahi Trust - and he or his family got benefits of at least $9500 from the account. Mr Tamihere told SFO investigator William Harris and accountant Clive Hudson he used account money to pay for his father's funeral, for unspecified Christmas expenses, and to reimburse himself and his wife, Awerangi Durie, for koha payments.

The SFO began investigating payments totalling $100,000 from Waipareira Trust in 1999 after private investigators found the money was authorised on false invoices. The office laid fraud charges against Mr Tamihere's former campaign manager and Waipareira Trust former chief financial officer Mike Tolich, and a former publican who has name suppression. Mr Tamihere, a former Waipareira Trust chief executive, was not charged.

Documents obtained by the Herald on Sunday show that Mr Tamihere learned from Mr Tolich last November that $20,000 of the Waipareira Trust money being investigated was paid into Te Tahi Trust. The documents also show Mr Tamihere received payments from Te Tahi Trust in the months before and after he was elected on November 27, 1999.

On November 3, 2004, Mr Tamihere told Parliament: "I state to the House that I was not aware of any invalid invoices, and I was not a recipient of any of the payments referred to in the Paragon Risk report."

Paragon carried out the investigation into the Waipareira Trust's payments. Mr Tamihere referred its report to the SFO himself.

If Mr Tamihere inadvertently made an incorrect statement to the House, he is under an obligation as an MP to correct it at the earliest possible time.

Mr Tamihere was interviewed twice at the SFO offices; in November last year and in January this year. In January, he identified payments totalling at least $9500 from Te Tahi Trust over a four-month period at around the time of the 1999 election. The interviews also canvassed the money paid into TeTahi Trust.

Mr Tamihere told SFO investigators he was only aware of $25,000 being in the account, including $5000 from a political donor. Investigators used a Te Tahi Trust bank reconciliation which listed payments in and out.

Mr Tamihere was first asked about a $1000 payment to Coromandel Price Cutter, which carried the notation Paki Harrison. Asked if he recalled what the payment was for, he replied: "No, not off the top of my head. That's Uncle Paki."

Then Mr Hudson asked about payments of more than $2000 to a funeral director. "Oh yeah, that's my father's funeral," said Mr Tamihere.

His current electorate secretary, Wyn Ananaia, was paid $1000 on August 26, 1999, according to the interview. Mr Tamihere said Mr Ananaia had been driving his campaign van at the time.

Mr Hudson then asked about payments to Mr Tamihere and Ms Durie. Of a payment on August 17, 1999, Mr Tamihere said: "I think that's all about koha."

He was unable to explain a payment to him or his wife in November 1999 for $2000.

Mr Tamihere said a series of payments to the Manukau Rugby League Club were fora function he was involvedin hosting.

He acknowledged another cheque to himself and his wife on December 8, 1999, for $1500 and a cash withdrawal for $3000 on December 10, 1999. Asked what the money was for, he replied: "I suspect, at the time, Christmas."

Mr Tamihere did not return the Herald on Sunday's phone calls.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY