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New Zealand police search for 'illegal' recording
Source: Agencies |
November 24, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NEW Zealand police yesterday began searching four media organizations three days before national elections to seize evidence related to a recording of Prime Minister John Key that he claims was illegally obtained.
The search warrants were due to be executed yesterday and today. Police are seeking copies of the recorded conversation between Key and an ally, interviews with the cameraman who recorded it and footage from the scene. Warrants are being issued at two television networks, a newspaper and a radio broadcaster.
The contents of the November 11 recording have yet to be made public. Key's political opponents claim the recording contains embarrassing political statements by the prime minister.
After the cameraman handed a copy of the recording to the Herald on Sunday newspaper, Key and his governing National Party suggested it had been covertly orchestrated and compared the newspaper's tactics to those used at the notorious, defunct UK tabloid News of the World.
But the Herald on Sunday's editor, Bryce Johns, said the newspaper knew nothing about the recording until the cameraman turned it over. He said Key has been successful in his twin aims of diverting attention from what he says on the tape and ensuring it does not come out until after the election.
"He set out to paint the newspaper as the bad guy, and that is so far from the truth it is difficult to reconcile," Johns said.
He said police served a warrant yesterday and the newspaper handed over all the material asked for. He said the newspaper considered publishing the recording when it first received the tape, but it had to weigh that against its legal and ethical obligations and chose to wait.
The recording was taken after an event staged for media at an Auckland cafe. Key asked reporters to move away while he chatted one-on-one with Act party candidate John Banks.
Cameraman Brad Ambrose left a cloth pouch containing a recording device on the table. Ambrose has said he left the device inadvertently in the confusion of the media scrum and had not intended to record the conversation.
The search warrants were due to be executed yesterday and today. Police are seeking copies of the recorded conversation between Key and an ally, interviews with the cameraman who recorded it and footage from the scene. Warrants are being issued at two television networks, a newspaper and a radio broadcaster.
The contents of the November 11 recording have yet to be made public. Key's political opponents claim the recording contains embarrassing political statements by the prime minister.
After the cameraman handed a copy of the recording to the Herald on Sunday newspaper, Key and his governing National Party suggested it had been covertly orchestrated and compared the newspaper's tactics to those used at the notorious, defunct UK tabloid News of the World.
But the Herald on Sunday's editor, Bryce Johns, said the newspaper knew nothing about the recording until the cameraman turned it over. He said Key has been successful in his twin aims of diverting attention from what he says on the tape and ensuring it does not come out until after the election.
"He set out to paint the newspaper as the bad guy, and that is so far from the truth it is difficult to reconcile," Johns said.
He said police served a warrant yesterday and the newspaper handed over all the material asked for. He said the newspaper considered publishing the recording when it first received the tape, but it had to weigh that against its legal and ethical obligations and chose to wait.
The recording was taken after an event staged for media at an Auckland cafe. Key asked reporters to move away while he chatted one-on-one with Act party candidate John Banks.
Cameraman Brad Ambrose left a cloth pouch containing a recording device on the table. Ambrose has said he left the device inadvertently in the confusion of the media scrum and had not intended to record the conversation.
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