National goes to police over emails

Don Brash

The National Party has gone to police seeking a criminal investigation after claims its opponents hold hundreds of leaked emails which they will soon publish.

A spokesman for National leader Don Brash today confirmed the party was in discussion with police over the emails which it believed were likely to have been stolen.

The discussions were at an "early stage".

National called in forensic investigators after several leaked emails, to and from Dr Brash, surfaced during the election campaign.

They were unable to find evidence Dr Brash's computer had been electronically "hacked". Nor were they able to confirm rumours that the leak had come from Dr Brash's inner circle of staff.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters released another leaked email earlier this year, which he claimed proved Dr Brash was backed by American money and strategists.

He has hinted in the past he is holding more emails and it has been reported they could be published in book form.

Mr Peters last week dismissed the reports as "mindless journalism".

But Prime Minister Helen Clark also added to the speculation last week that there could be more leaked emails to come on National's election funding.

Miss Clark said she understood there were "more emails lurking around".

"I don't have them. Somebody does," she told reporters.

"No doubt they'll see the full light of day in due course."

This week Miss Clark said she understood there were more emails, but it was not Labour which was holding them.

Under pressure over its pledge-card spending from taxpayer funds, Labour has been keen to revive talk over Dr Brash's links to the Exclusive Brethren.

The secretive sect spent over $500,000 on a campaign attacking Labour and the Greens in the runup to the election and information from correspondence with the Electoral Office show it wanted to spend $1.2 million in support of National.

Dr Brash initially said he had nothing to do with the Brethren campaign, but then later admitted he had met with members.

His spokesman would not comment today on whether National believed a second tranche of emails had been leaked - separate to those leaked before the election.

- NZPA