Peters joins debt-collection trail

By FRANCESCA MOLD political reporter

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused the Minister of Immigration's office of offering to pay the debts of a refugee who used different names to get credit.

But the minister, Lianne Dalziel, said Mr Peters' claim was nonsense and there was no way her office would pick up the bill for someone who had got into financial trouble.

Mr Peters raised concerns about the refugee's behaviour in a speech about immigration this week. He said the man had "done a bunk" after running up debts using different names. Creditors and a debt collection agency were now chasing him.

Mr Peters said a neighbour of the Wellington-based refugee had sent four letters from collection agencies to the Immigration Minister's office.

The letters were returned, with handwritten notes on the back asking: "If action required by the Minister of Immigration's office, please return with a note". A note on one of the other letters asked: "If you would like action on the enclosed account, please return with instructions/a note".

Mr Peters said the wording suggested the minister's office wanted to know if the refugee wanted the bills paid.

"Does this mean that taxpayers are going to pay the debts of this individual who appears to have shot through after obtaining credit under a false name?" he asked.

But a spokeswoman for Ms Dalziel said the letters were received by the minister's office with no explanation as to why they had been sent.

It was common for the office to receive mail sent in error to the minister instead of the Immigration Service, including bills provided by people wanting to verify their address as part of their application for residency.

A clerk in the office had been uncertain why the bills had been sent to the minister because there was no letter explaining the situation. So he returned them to the address on the bills with a note on the back asking what the sender expected the minister's office to do with them.

Ms Dalziel said she "categorically ruled out" suggestions that any offer had been to pay the refugee's debts. The Minister of Immigration had no power under legislation to do that.

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