Mr Meurant offers to give evidence

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 8

Mr Meurant offers to give evidence

By

PETER LUKE

political reporter

Mr Meurant last evening declined to comment further on the allegations he made earlier in Parliament but said he would go public again if the allegations were investigated. His speech in Parhament was covered by Absolute privilege, which means that a member of Parliament may say anything without fear of legal proceedings.

Spoken to in his office, Mr Meurant would not expand on his comments but raised the prospect of giving evidence before an investigation. “I think the matters I brought to the country’s attention needed to be

brought out into the open and should inquiries be set up to investigate the matters I raised, I would be quite happy to talk further on these matters,” he said.

Any further comments Would be made “in an appropriate forum. I will not make them to you so you can sell a few more newspapers.”

Mr Meurant confirmed that much of his information , had come from his former employment in the police, but said he had not breached security in getting it. Although he said he had other sources of information, he would not comment on whether one was the Security Intelligence Service.

The Prime Minister’s "Office said that Mr Lange would not comment on Mr Meurant’s allegation that the Government had told the S.I.S. not to investigate Maori gang:.