John Banks ended the statement he made to police in June 2012 by saying he viewed himself as an "honest trader" who was "straight up [and] straight down", a court has heard today, as his trial over filing a false return during his failed 2010 mayoralty campaign continues in Auckland.
The former ACT leader has denied charges alleging he listed two $25,000 donations from Kim Dotcom and a $15,000 cheque from SkyCity as being anonymous, despite knowing where they came from, saying "I don't think I've done a dishonest thing in my life...everything I did I did to the best of my knowledge."
In the interview Banks told Detective Sergeant Carl Lewens that he had "no recollection of receiving a donation" from SkyCity and "no actual knowledge of receiving a donation" from Megastuff.
Banks said the campaign sent out around 3000 letters asking for money and received around 500 cheques in total.
"I asked hundreds of people for money... I asked everyone."
During the campaign, many people promised to give him money but not everyone delivered on their words, he said. "Some of them may come in, some of them may not come in."
In total the campaign raised around $1 million but "if everyone that said that [they would give] did we would have made millions".
Banks said he would often thank people if they "gave an indication" they would make a contribution to his campaign.
"If you said 'John, I'll give you $1000' I wouldn't know. I'd give you a chit and thank you – but I wouldn't know."
Banks said he didn't concern himself with the finances, but left that to campaign treasurer Lance Hutchison, who he called a "trusted co-worker". He said Mr Hutchison would organise the returns for donations and he would sign them.
Mr Hutchison gave evidence in the opening day of the trial, saying "to this day I don't think [Banks] has ever seen a bank statement".
When asked by police about his understanding of what constitutes an anonymous donation, Banks said it was those "received at arm's length".
"[One] received without the specific knowledge of a candidate."
Banks spoke about his previous dealings with SkyCity and reiterated his belief it was the casino that requested the donation be made anonymously. However various SkyCity employees who took to the witness stand yesterday said it would be "highly unusual" for the company to make an anonymous donation.
Andrew Gaukrodger, SkyCity's manager of government and industry affairs at the time, said the company gave Banks the donation because it already donated the same amount to rival candidate Len Brown and wanted to support both mayoral candidates "openly and evenly".
Banks said he only became aware of SkyCity's donation when media coverage stated that both Mr Brown and he had received money from the company, something which "wasn't surprising".
He said even after hearing media reports of the donations he didn't go back and check his filings.
When told by police in the interview SkyCity managing director Nigel Morrison claims he handed Banks an envelope which he said contained a cheque for $15,000 that was never intended to be anonymous, Banks said he had "no knowledge of have that, no memory".
Dotcom a 'very strange man'
Banks also spoke in the interview of his meetings with Kim Dotcom, admitting he had visited the Dotcom mansion three times, including once by helicopter.
He said although he asked the internet tycoon for money, he never received a fixed answer, and left the mansion uncertain if, or how much, Dotcom would give him.
He said Dotcom initially offered Banks $200,000 and "quite a lot of access to social media". Banks said the prospect of social media support was "very exciting to me" but called the massive offer "outrageous" and declined it.
"I didn't want to accept $200,000, I thought $25,000 was a good limit on any one entity... I don't think it's right in New Zealand that we should receive such huge amounts of money."
Banks said he never received a straight answer from Dotcom if he was going to make a smaller contribution.
"I don't know whether he said yes," Banks told police. He said Dotcom "was a very strange man" and was wandering around the room during the conversation without saying a word.
"I don't recall him saying anything."
Banks said before his meeting with Dotcom, Megaupload was unknown to him.
"I hadn't heard of Megaupload, I thought it was something the cat brought up."
Banks described Dotcom as being "seven-foot and 200kgs and on another planet" and said he had heard he played PlayStation for "five days and four nights".
"I didn't know if this guy was real or not," said Banks, who described Dotcom's estranged wife Mona as being "one of the most beautiful women on Earth".
Ms Dotcom also gave evidence yesterday, saying she was present when Dotcom offered Banks the $50,000 donation and remembered the former ACT Party leader asking for it to be split in two so it could be listed as anonymous.
Parts of her testimony contradicted what her estranged husband said on Tuesday.
When told in the interview that Mr and Mrs Dotcom had testified that Banks had rung the Dotcom mansion to thank the internet mogul for the donations, Banks said "I would never say to anyone 'thanks for your donation' – I would say 'thanks for your support of our campaign."
"I do not have any recollection of ringing Mr Dotcom, he's a very hard man to get hold of."
The judge-only trial before Justice Edwin Wylie will take a day's adjournment tomorrow and continue on Monday.
3 News
source: newshub archive
