New Zealand’s Prime Minister said Justice Minister Kiri Allan could no longer hold the post after she was accused of reckless driving that led to the collision and disobeying police orders.
Around 9:00 pm on July 23, Attorney General Kiri Allan collided with a parked car. As a result of the incident, no one was injured. The police detained Allan for four hours, after which they accused her of reckless driving and refusing to accompany the police.
A court date has not been set. If found guilty, Allan could be fined and his driver’s license revoked. The results of the analysis also showed that the concentration of alcohol in Allan’s breath exceeded the permissible limit. However, she was not charged with driving while intoxicated, but only a protocol was drawn up on the violation.
“I spoke to her this morning. I do not believe that she is still worthy of being a minister,” New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said today, stressing that her behavior was “unacceptable” for the Minister of Justice.
“Kiri agreed and said she wanted to retire immediately, return home and think about her political future for a while. I accepted the offer,” added Mr. Hipkins.
New Zealand Attorney General Kiri Allan at Parliament in Wellington, June 26. Image: AP
Mr. Hipkins said the charges against Allan were unforgivable, but he was told she was under intense emotional pressure before the accident. Allan recently broke up with his gay mistress, TV presenter Money Dunlop.
Miss Allan apologized for her actions. “Over the past few weeks I have had a lot of personal problems. I’m going to take the time to deal with them,” Ms Allan said. “Last night’s actions showed that I was not okay and I let myself and my colleagues down.”
Ministers in Prime Minister Hipkins’ Labor government have been in a quandary of late as New Zealand held a general election in October. Mr Hipkins took over as prime minister in January after his predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, resigned.
In June, New Zealand’s Immigration and Transport Minister Michael Wood resigned after failing to disclose a potential conflict of interest related to his assets. Police Minister Stuart Nash was fired in March for leaking classified information to donors. In May, Customs Minister Meka Vitiri was fired for his loyalty to another political party.
As there (In accordance with Straight Times, Guardian)