Who is Graham McCready?

  • Breaking
  • 17/10/2013

The man who took ACT Party leader John Banks to court operates out of a tiny council flat in a Wellington suburb.

Graham McCready's already secured one conviction against a cabinet minister, but he also been convicted himself for blackmail and tax fraud.

Mr McCready says he pursued Banks for principle rather than personality. He believes it's his civic duty to hold people accountable - especially if they're in office.

"This goes right to the heart of democracy," he says.

Banks isn't the first minister McCready's dragged into court. He brought the 2007 case which saw Labour Party MP Trevor Mallard convicted of assaulting National MP Tau Henare in Parliament.

"I am pleased that Mr McCready has shown that he's equal-opportunity and not politically biased," says Mr Mallard.

But Mr McCready's had his own time in the dock, having been convicted of tax fraud and earlier this year he faced blackmail charges.

"I got a judicial and legal head-kicking," he says of his legal issues.

Mr McCready escaped jail for the blackmail conviction but was declared bankrupt over court costs.

"It only carries a 14-year jail term, but I was sentenced to six months community detention," he says.

But he believes his convictions were unfair, and says bankruptcy won't stop him taking prosecutions against those in the public sector because he does it on the cheap and he doesn't have to pay a lawyer.

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source: newshub archive