Barry Soper: Trevor Mallard Raises More Questions Than He Answers

OPINION:

Trevor Mallard did nothing to cover himself in glory when he faced his colleagues. Now he is shrouded in a veil of mystery that raises many more questions than he answered.

The Speaker of Parliament tried to baffle his inquisitors with verbosity about how the culture of Parliament has improved, which he described as a cesspool of intimidation and sexual harassment.

Using Debbie Francis’ sensational report of shock, horror and investigation as a platform for her allegations of serious sexual assault committed at the proposed location, to create the impression that we now all feel safer in our workplace .

None of the serious sexual assaults resulted in the police taking them further. If the one about a hug that turned out to be unfounded, and that Mallard saw as rape, was as bad as it was, then one wonders why all the fuss.

The man charged and sent to pack was never interviewed during Francis’ investigation. And how did Mallard find out about the complaint anyway? We were told that the investigation was strictly confidential and that all material presented to him would be destroyed. Don’t forget that you were not conducting the investigation.

Mallard told a shocked parliamentary select committee that he learned within 24 hours that his rape claim was false. Well, if that’s the case, why didn’t you withdraw the claim and save the taxpayer nearly $ 334,000? He said he didn’t do that because the hug investigation was being investigated again. That was reinforced by the head of parliamentary services who carried out the original investigation and found it to be unfounded.

But the man himself told me that he only knew that the investigation had been reopened when he was sent packing the day the rape report was made.

The truth is more likely that he withdrew his rape claim now because if he did so last year, it is likely that he would not have survived a vote of no confidence in his President. New Zealand First would not have supported it.

Next year he will survive a vote with the Labor majority and with the mother of goodness, welfare and transparency Jacinda Ardern saying that he simply made a mistake and that he is the right man for the job. The man he slandered is out of work and now suffers from health problems.

Before his companions, Mallard was in a hole and kept digging.

He was asked if the money that had been paid to settle his defamation lawsuit was the end of the matter when it came to the taxpayer coughing and he said, yes, that was it.

Just over a minute later, a bomb exploded and Gonzales admitted that the former employee was taking action against his former employer, presumably to obtain a settlement justified by public humiliation and the loss of his job. The taxpayer-funded legal bill that this action has already hit $ 37,000, which will be a fraction of what it will likely cost, with the man’s legal fees and a settlement.

Since parliamentary services are not subject to the Official Information Act, we will probably never know what the final taxpayer bill is. So far the transparency.

Mallard’s excuse for changing the rules to make the taxpayer pay the bill for his outburst was unconvincing. Because she was facing libel action, which she should have known she would lose considering she knew the rape charge was wrong, she turned the responsibility for the rule change over to her deputy, former National MP Anne Tolley.

Eliminated any conflict of interest, he said. Yeah sure.