Thai plasterer lied in Phillip Field inquiry

A Thai plasterer has told a jury she did not tell the truth to a government-ordered inquiry considering allegations against Taito Phillip Field.

Jinda Thavichit yesterday told the High Court in Auckland she did so because Field wanted their stories to the inquiry to be consistent and she wanted to help Field.

The former Mangere MP is on trial on 12 charges of bribery and corruption in his role as an MP and 23 charges of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The bribery and corruption charges allege that Thai nationals carried out tens of thousands of dollars worth of work on five of Field's properties between 2003 and 2005 in return for help with their immigration issues.

The charges of wilfully attempting to obstruct or pervert the course of justice allege that Field took numerous steps to create a false impression to a government-ordered inquiry in 2005 and 2006 and a subsequent police investigation of what happened at his properties.

Mrs Thaivichit, who had set up a Thai Labour Party branch in Mangere, had a reasonably close connection with Field, whom she and many other Thai nationals called "Big Dad".

She made statements in a document in front of a lawyer that she had organised some painting and plastering work done by Thai workers on properties owned by Field, and that she had made payments to some of the Thai workers.

However, she told prosecutor David Johnstone that she did not do the organising and that she did not make some of the payments which she said in the document that she had.

Mrs Thaivichit also said in the statement that Field let her stay at his property in Church St, Otahuhu because she couldn't pay rent, when the truth was that she and her family were trying to avoid immigration authorities and Field wanted to help her.

She said she signed the document because Field asked her to, and "because I thought I would like to help Big Dad".

Mrs Thaivichit said she made similar statements to the inquiry held into Field's activities by Noel Ingram, QC.

She said she talked to Field the day before her interview was scheduled and discussed questions which Field himself had answered before Dr Ingram.

She said that Field told her about answers he had given Dr Ingram, "and Taito wanted me to answer the same things" as it was important that their answers were consistent.

Mrs Thaivichit also recalled a phone conversation with Thai tiler Sunan Siriwan, who was working on Field's property in Afiamalu, Samoa, about statements he made to Dr Ingram about whether he saw any other Thai nationals working at the property.

Mr Siriwan told her that he told Dr Ingram he had not seen any other Thai people at the property.

"Mr Field said this was a big problem because it's inconsistent with what all of us had said," Ms Thaivichit told the court.

"People here said that Thai people had gone to Samoa for a holiday, that they went to look at the house and did a little bit of work there."

The trial, which is into its fifth week of a scheduled 12 weeks, will resume on Monday, when Mrs Thaivichit is expected to be cross-examined.

- NZPA