Saturday, January 31, 2004
Hang 'em high
The enquiry into Helen's mate Ross's spending has always been a joke - albeit a costly and unfunny one. But this is ridiculous:
Audit Office spokesman Robert Buchanan said: "During the inquiry phase, we interviewed the CEO and general counsel/company secretary of TVNZ about the specific matters that are addressed in chapter 4 of the report. No interviews were necessary of executives of NZ Post or IRL".
How can you 'investigate' the legitimacy of forking out cash to a mate without interviewing colleagues of the time? Do we know what the 'legal consulting' consisted of? Did it warrant over $100K? Did Ross have carte blanche on the NZ Post cheque book? If so - should the CEO at the time be dragged over the coals?
The whole thing reeks, and it speaks volumes about the media that Winston makes the front page, and this has been swept under the carpet.
At times I hate myself for looking forward to question time - but I do, and any relevant highlights will be posted here in due course.
