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ACT backing Banks in donations row

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ACT backing Banks in donations row

3News NZ

ACT MP John Banks (file)

ACT MP John Banks (file)

The ACT Party is standing behind its sole MP John Banks as a political donations scandal threatens to topple him from his ministerial post.

Mr Banks is facing pressure following claims he knew the source of $65,000 worth of political donations to his failed Auckland mayoral bid in 2010, but labelled them as from anonymous donors.

Police are investigating a $15,000 donation from SkyCity, while internet piracy accused Kim Dotcom says Mr Banks asked him to split a $50,000 donation in two, which was then declared anonymous.

ACT president Chris Simmons says he's "100 per cent" behind Mr Banks - saying he's asked him what he knew of the donations, "and I'm very happy with the answers".

"He's given me an assurance his return completely complied with the legislation," he told Radio New Zealand.

However, Mr Simmons concedes he did not ask Mr Banks specifically about the donation from the Megaupload founder, or whether Mr Banks asked for it to be split into two sums of $25,000.

3 News Political Editor Duncan Garner says if phone records show Banks called Dotcom, he's gone.

Mr Banks also lobbied Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson to approve a bid by Dotcom to buy a $35-million mansion - but Mr Simmons says that's because Mr Banks "does help people".

"There are a lot of people that will talk about what John has done for them, in all walks of life, and I'm absolutely certain that this is no different to anything else."

Mr Simmons says he is confident a police inquiry into the matter is "about as far as it will go" and Mr Banks would cooperate.

"He's happy to answer all those questions in the inquiry, he fronted up to the media yesterday and provided a lot of answers to these questions as well, he's given me assurances, I'm more than happy with that."

NZN

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Comments

30/06/2012 9:48:23 p.m.

Bob wrote:

ACT though on crime just not within there own body.

4/05/2012 7:54:27 p.m.

Richard wrote:

Cracks me up, this is the tip of the iceberg. Dotcom is going to unravel NZ now because of the false arrest. Watch this space I suspect more will fall.

3/05/2012 11:45:55 a.m.

Mary wrote:

The ACT Party needs to be dealing with this situation, not John Key I believe.

2/05/2012 11:22:25 p.m.

David wrote:

Sorry 300 Million, stolen from the economy by mid level managers... not 30 Billion.

2/05/2012 4:19:10 p.m.

David wrote:

The amount of corporate corruption and lack of ethics that is happening in New Zealnd is tuely begginning to astound me. Mid Level Managers. a group our Prime Minister belonged to prior to his current job title, stole nearly 30 billion dollars from the economy lst year alone... nearly 1.5 Billion dollars stolen from the economy since John Key took power. John Key himslf has denounced ethical considertions when it coms to John Banks... Keys himself has said he doent care if Banks has done anything ethially wrong as there are too any interpretations of "ethics".. remember he is a bsinessman so he has no idea of what ethics ae himself. All John Key has said is e only cares if Banks get chrged with an offence. Remembering of course that National and ACT changed the rules to allow prats like Kim Dot Com into the country.. when his forme conviction of insider trading should hve stopped him being able to live here. The roblem with partis like Act and National is that right wing parties are run by businessmen and corporatios... ethics and morals are not things that business's know how to embrace. and People like John Key and John Banks live their lives in what the term as "the grey areas" otherwise known as the not illegal... but should be category. Unfortunately Labour although its more ethical and moral than National is.... still embraces the corporate "grey areas" too much as well, but at least managers to keep site of what is ethical and moral... in most cases.