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Taito Phillip Field - Source: ONE News -
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Former MP Taito Phillip Field has insisted he told a woman to tell the truth to a government-ordered inquiry into work done on his houses by Thai people seeking immigration help.
Six weeks ago Jinda Thaivichit told Field's trial on 35 criminal charges that the former Mangere MP wanted her to make sure her answers in an interview carried out by inquiry head Noel Ingram were consistent with his.
But Field said he did not say anything along these lines and had insisted that she be truthful.
Field was giving evidence at his trial in the High Court at Auckland on charges related to work he allegedly had done on his properties in return for immigration assistance to Thai nationals.
The 12 bribery and corruption charges allege that Field had Thai nationals carry out work on five of his properties in return for help with their immigration issues.
The other 23 charges allege that he took steps to derail investigations into his conduct by police and by Noel Ingram QC.
Thaivichit, who had set up a Thai branch of the Labour Party in Mangere, said in her evidence she did not tell the truth to Dr Ingram because Field wanted their stories to the inquiry to be consistent and she wanted to help Field.
She said she discussed answers which Field gave to Ingram the day before her interview was scheduled, "and Taito wanted me to answer the same things" as it was important that their answers were consistent.
Field on Monday denied he arranged to meet Thaivichit over their answers to Ingram.
"It's not true. No such arrangements were made," he said.
"I suggested that if everybody told the truth, there would be consistency."
He said Thaivichit's suggestions he got her to ask Thai tiler Sunan Siriwan to lie about whether Thai people were working on his Samoan property were also not true.
Field also insisted that he does not ask or expect work from anyone he gives immigration help to.
"I give help unconditionally for free," he said.
Earlier, Field told the court of an angry exchange he had at the Samoan property with Siriwan and his colleague Keith Williams, a waterproofer from Auckland whose complaints helped spark the investigations into Field's activities.
Siriwan and Williams had headed to Samoa to work on Field's Afiamalu property. Field said he paid for Williams' ticket with his airpoints, but asked Siriwan to pay for his own ticket.
Field said he found a semi-clothed women at the house, and a lot of beer bottles, a few days after he told them not to bring strangers or alcohol to the house.
"I became quite angry. I could see they were real trouble, especially when they blatantly disobeyed what I told them," he said.
"I told them to pack their belongings and they were no longer welcome there."
Field's wife Maxine later told him the pair were remorseful and to give them another chance, but he agreed they could only stay until they found alternative accommodation in Samoa.
Field also told the jury he did not give Williams a "blank cheque" to buy materials to work with on his Samoan property prior to his departure from New Zealand from Auckland with Siriwan.
Cross-examination of Field is expected to start on
Tuesday.
