Simon Bridges is doing a Sergeant Schultz as questions are being asked about National dodgy donations from Chinese Communist Party sympathizers:
National Party leader Simon Bridges says it came as a surprise to him that a Serious Fraud Office prosecution relates to two $100,000 donations to the party.
Court documents obtained by RNZ show charges have been laid against four people over the donations in June 2017 and June 2018.
The documents show three defendants each face two joint charges of deception.
The charge sheet said they used a “fraudulent trick or device” to break up the 2018 donation into sums less than $15,000 which were then transferred into the bank accounts of eight different people, before being paid into a National Party electorate account.
It also said that happened “in circumstances where the identity of the donor was not disclosed in National’s annual return”.
Bridges said he was in the dark about the charges relating to two donations.
“I have no information in relation to the other donation, I suppose someone does, and presumably they’ve been charged. It’s now before the courts and look I don’t have information and I can’t speculate”, he said.
Which is probably why you are seeing the donors currently charged wishing to have their name suppression lifted. They clearly don’t like being lied about by Simon Bridges. He’s become like Simon Peter was to Jesus, denying that he knew him.
The Gospel of John 18:13-27 describes the account of the three denials as follows:
Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” […] As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
The Gospel of John 18:13-27
No wonder the Chinese donors want their suppression lifted; it’s so they can tell the truth about the involvement of Simon Bridges. They won’t allow Simon Bridges to deny knowing who they are.
But there are some things one must believe if one thinks Simon Bridges is telling the truth.
- That he still knew nothing of the donations despite discussing them and how to launder them with Jami-Lee Ross in a recorded conversation, where he mentions that, eventually, they’ll have to tell Peter Goodfellow, and he also discussed the exchange of donations for some Chinese MPs.
- To believe Bridges’ “I didn’t know they previously made donations” line, you have to believe the leader of the opposition takes 3 hours out of his schedule to get drunk in the private home of someone he has never met and who doesn’t even speak English, purely out of the goodness of his heart.
- And then talks about it to Jami-Lee Ross on the phone.
- That the National party has so much cash washing around in their coffers that a lazy $200,000 isn’t noticed.
- That these kind and generous donors who don’t speak English, who like to get drunk with Simon Bridges solely because of his dynamic personality, and take photos of the event, were very happy to hand over $200,000 with absolutely no strings attached.
- That Simon Bridges lets his MPs act unilaterally and arrange boozy dinners with cash backhanders without his consent or knowledge.
I’m very much looking forward to their name suppression being lifted and the truth beginning to unfold.
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