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Independent MP Taito Phillip Field yesterday insisted he was innocent of corruption charges and welcomed the chance to clear his name in court before next year's election.
Police yesterday charged him with 15 counts of bribery and 25 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. He will appear in the Manukau District Court on Monday.
A High Court ruling in October cleared the way for police to prosecute him for bribery and corruption.
The leave of the High Court is required before charges can be laid against an MP.
The charges centre on allegations Field gave immigration assistance in return for free or low-cost labour on properties he owned in Samoa, South Auckland and Wellington.
Field maintains his innocence, and told the Weekend Herald he wanted to have his name cleared by next year's election.
"It's a decision I made some time ago to allow the charges to proceed because I had the option of proceeding with the appeal to the Court of Appeal, but I felt that by agreement that we need to sort this out and clear my name before the next election, that we shouldn't delay it through any delays in terms of processes that need to be engaged in," Field said.
He said he wasn't feeling anxious about Monday's court appearance.
"I have had this for over two years now. The sooner we have to do what we have to do to clear my name, the better. I just want to make sure things are done properly that's all."
His lawyer Satiu Simativa Perese said yesterday Field would be released on bail on Monday.
"He's been summoned, he's not to be arrested and he will agree to a condition of bail ... to not associate with any potential witnesses," Perese said.
