NZ lawmaker gets 6 years for corruption and bribery

Taito Phillip Field, the first New Zealander of Pacific Islands descent elected to Parliament and appointed to the Cabinet, was found guilty on 11 counts of bribery and corruption and 15 of willfully attempting to obstruct or pervert the course of justice.

The charges related to Field's use of Thai nationals to carry out mainly unpaid work on seven of his properties in return for immigration assistance between November 2002 and October 2005.

He was accused of perverting justice and making false statements about work done to his properties in New Zealand and Samoa, encouraging others to make false statements and creating false documents.

Field, 57, sat quietly in the dock clutching a red-covered Bible as High Court Justice Rodney Hansen announced the verdict.

He said Field's conduct was intolerable and threatened the foundation of democracy and justice. Hansen also said that Field had made an elaborate and careful attempt to pervert justice.

The judge discounted Field's sentence by 18 months after taking into account the former lawmaker's previous service to the community, his public humiliation and the financial costs of his legal case.

The prosecution had asked the court to impose a 10-year prison term.

While Field has consistently maintained his innocence, last week at a public meeting he apologized for the actions that led to his convictions.

Elected as a center-left Labour Party lawmaker in 1993, Field was appointed to the Cabinet in 2002. He was not reappointed after the 2005 election as allegations against him surfaced. He was expelled from the party in 2007 and lost his seat at the 2008 election.

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