KEY POINTS:
National yesterday seized on Owen Glenn's description of Prime Minister Helen Clark as self-serving and Labour Party president Mike Williams as a liar.
At a press conference in Auckland, Mr Glenn also said Mr Williams had asked him for a job on July 10 when he visited his yacht in France to seek a donation for Labour.
In Parliament, National leader John Key repeated Mr Glenn's description of Mr Williams as "an unmitigated falsifier of veracity" and asked if he was fit to remain a director of four crown entities.
Helen Clark said those comments were "not atypical of the sort of hyperbole which flows when acquaintances fall out".
Mr Williams and Mr Glenn have been friends since Mr Glenn gave $500,000 to Labour for the 2005 election, and later a $100,000 loan to the party.
Mr Glenn yesterday said Mr Williams had invited himself on to Mr Glenn's yacht in France in July to ask him for a further donation. "I asked him to go home."
Mr Williams later supplied an email from Mr Glenn's assistant Laura Ede in which she says, "Hi Mike, Owen has given me the date of 10th July or there after, best to fly into Nice and we can put you up on board MY Ubiquitous."
Mr Williams denied Mr Glenn's claims yesterday that he had asked for a job during that visit.
Mr Glenn said Mr Williams had told him he was a good administrator and had run his own business, but had no roles in NZ.
Mr Williams said Mr Glenn might have been recalling a conversation they had had a couple of years ago.
"Owen was interested in setting up or buying a logistics company in New Zealand, and discussed with me the possibility that I could play a role in managing it. I declined."
Mr Glenn is in New Zealand for a privileges committee hearing into a $100,000 donation he gave to New Zealand First leader Winston Peters in 2005.
Mr Glenn said in his evidence he consulted Mr Williams before agreeing to give the donation to Mr Peters and had brunch with him in Sydney the day he called Mr Peters to agree to the donation.
"I would never have agreed to make the donation without Mr Peters' direct and personal request, and without checking with Mr Williams that such support would be acceptable to the Labour Party," his evidence said.
Mr Williams denied ever giving the okay for the donation. At issue is whether Mr Peters was telling the truth when he said he found out about the donation on July 18.
Helen Clark recently admitted Mr Glenn told her in February that he had given Mr Peters a donation but Mr Peters denied it to her and the public. Mr Glenn says he also told her he had consulted Mr Williams.
Mr Key said yesterday that Helen Clark had kept it secret for six months and had not sacked Mr Peters because Labour had sanctioned the donation and she had been involved "up to her eyeballs".
"What happened yesterday was that the truth jetted into town."
Helen Clark said that was "ridiculous and wrong". She said she had no reason to distrust her president's word.
NZ First deputy leader Peter Brown linked Mr Glenn to Mr Peters' arch-enemies Fay Richwhite by saying Mr Glenn's lawyer, Geoff Harley, had acted for the merchant bankers during the Winebox inquiry.
Dr Harley did not act for Fay Richwhite but was called by Fay Richwhite lawyers to give evidence as a tax law specialist.
'I HAVE TO TAKE PEOPLE AS I FIND THEM'
Prime Minister Helen Clark on the unfolding saga of Winston Peters and Owen Glenn's donation:
JULY 14, 2008
After the Herald runs emails indicating Mr Glenn donated to New Zealand First, despite Winston Peters' denials:
Helen Clark says Mr Peters has assured her he did not receive a donation. "He said to me what he had said publicly ... One thing I am not responsible for is New Zealand First. The buck stops somewhere else on that one."
JULY 18
Mr Peters issues a statement saying his lawyer Brian Henry has told him of a $100,000 donation towards the legal costs for the Tauranga electoral petition.
Helen Clark says he rang her that night and assured her he had not known of it earlier.
JULY 21, PRESS CONFERENCE
"I'm in a position that Mr Peters is an honourable member, and I must accept his word unless I have evidence to the contrary."
JULY 22, PARLIAMENT
"I would note that the word of an honourable member is always accepted in this House. Further, Mr Peters' lawyer, Mr Henry, has entirely backed what Mr Peters has said. Mr Henry, of course, has professional obligations to the Law Society."
AUGUST 27
After Mr Glenn's letter to the privileges committee claims Mr Peters asked for the money, contradicting Mr Peters' claims:
"There is clearly a conflict of evidence on this issue which is before the privileges committee ...
"Unlike Mr Key, I prefer to wait for the outcome of a proper process."
AUGUST 28
Just before the Serious Fraud Office announces it will investigate other donations to New Zealand First, Helen Clark admits Mr Glenn had told her in February about a donation. She had rung and checked with Mr Peters.
"Mr Peters has consistently maintained that he never made that phone call to Mr Glenn [to solicit the donation] ... I have not known Mr Peters to lie to me and I have to take people as I find them."
SEPTEMBER, PARLIAMENT
"It has been clear all along that there is a conflict of evidence, and both gentlemen are honourable gentlemen. One assumes there is some innocent explanation."
SEPTEMBER 9
To media after Mr Glenn personally presents evidence - including phone logs and emails - to the privileges committee:
"Obviously there's been some pretty disturbing evidence given to the committee today. Mr Peters will come and have his say tomorrow night. I'm obviously watching it extremely carefully."
SEPTEMBER 10, PARLIAMENT
"Mr Peters may be the hardest person in the country to insist on due process for, but I do think that any reasonable person would agree that he has a right to reply, tonight."
