ANALYSIS: The Race Relations Commissioner is resigning in a storm of chaos after a probe uncovered a significant conflict of interest.
Meng Foon was under investigation for failing to declare political donations, but the inquiry uncovered a whole lot more.
This is mega. What started as a probe into political donations has become a bombshell.
Foon is the director of a company that has taken $2 million in Government funding for providing emergency accommodation. The Government says he never declared it.
But it gets worse. While taking that money for emergency housing, Foon was part of a group at the Human Rights Commission conducting an inquiry into and writing a report on emergency housing.
Associate Justice Minister Deborah Russell has been looking after this. Why? Because one of the politicians Foon donated to was Justice Minister Kiri Allan.
Russell got a report back two weeks ago and had a meeting with Foon where he explained himself.
She'd been sitting on it, but says her preliminary view was his actions were serious enough to warrant removal. He beat her to it jumping before he was pushed.
But somewhat puzzlingly is that at the same time that the Prime Minister's Office was confirming he had resigned, Foon himself text Newshub saying he hadn't.
Newshub has now received a more fulsome statement from Foon saying he informed the Prime Minister he'd be resigning this Sunday.
He told Newshub he strongly refutes that he didn't declare his conflict of interest. He said he told the Ministry of Justice and the Human Rights Commission before he took up his role.
The Human Rights Commission has given him a glowing review on the way out, with Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt as a "man of the people" who made an "unfortunate mistake".
Jenna Lynch is Newshub's Political Editor.
