Contrary to Prime Minister John Key’s categorical assertion, his “lawyer”, Ken Whitney, has been found to have links to Mossack Fonseca, the Panama law firm at the centre of a global scandal on tax evasion and avoidance, TVNZ reported today.
Despite the PM’s assurances, it turns out the his lawyer had direct links to Mossack Fonseca. And so did everyone else in the room when Todd McClay was successfully convinced to drop the IRD review into foreign trust. Someone’s been telling porkies …
“I did a little yelp of joy…like an excited puppy,” wrote Farrier, the former Newsworthy presenter at TV3, on hearing of Weldon’s resignation
Australia’s Financial Review has just published more details of NZ’s starring role as tax haven in the Panama Papers.
Update: Claims that Key’s lawyer never dealt with Mossack Fonseca seem to be – untrue.
An editorial in The Herald today keeps the pressure on Key. Meanwhile his “lawyer” can’t be happy, and Key hits peak condescension.
On the nobbled IRD tax haven review Key has been sorting out his lines. Then he had to feed McClay his. The concept of just telling the truth probably never occured to either of them.
Key chucks his “lawyer” under a bus – Part 2.
Key has form on lying, you’d hope that his “lawyer” does not.
The weekend saw the pressure stay on National over our tax haven status, and the role Key might have played in protecting it.
