Police file on Brash emails set to be released

Don Brash

The file on the investigation into the apparent theft of Don Brash's emails will be released next week, a Police National Headquarters spokesman said today.

It is nearly three years since hundreds of the former National Party leader's private emails found their way into the book The Hollow Men, written by researcher Nicky Hager.

Police launched an investigation but never reported on its outcome, or whether there was an outcome.

Government relations consultant Matthew Hooton, a former National Party staffer, has been trying to get the file since May 2007, when he lodged an Official Information Act request.

Writing in the National Business Review's latest edition, Mr Hooton said the file would be released later today "probably after 6pm".

Police spokesman Jon Neilson told NZPA it was not going to be released this week.

"It will be released some time next week," he said.

"The first person to receive it will be Dr Brash."

Mr Hooton said in his column Police National Headquarters had argued the Brash file could not be released because doing so would compromise the investigation.

He said he was told in mid-2008 that the file was still open, despite the police having issued a media statement in April saying it was closed.

"In fact, there never was a serious investigation, with Dr Brash being advised in July 2007 that those known to have obtained his emails had not been interviewed," he said.

"The file will be so heavily censored it will largely be blank and will contain no new information."

- NZPA