NZ bungled handling diplomat sex case
Malaysia has acted entirely in good faith, says the New Zealand Foreign Affairs Ministry
(Free Malaysia Today) – WELLINGTON: Foreign Affairs chief executive John Allen has acknowledged his ministry bungled the case of the Malaysian diplomat accused of sexual assault.
Allen said his apology to the government was for both the shortcomings in the advice given to the government by the ministry and its management of a serious incident.
“The ministry has fallen well short of its obligations to the government on this occasion and we take this failure very seriously.
“It is the long-standing policy of the New Zealand government to formally request the waiver of diplomatic immunity in such cases,” reported the New Zealand Herald.
He said the ministry has initiated a review of its processes for handling such cases, and said it would likely appoint an independent reviewer.
The review would focus on two areas: the informal communication with the Malaysian High Commission which left open the possibility of a different course of action to that expected by the government and the fact that the Minister of Foreign Affairs was not sufficiently informed of events.
Earlier today, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully apologised to Prime Minister John Key for not fully informing him about the Malaysian diplomat before Key spoke publicly on the matter.
Despite an earlier tussle over where he should face charges, diplomatic aide Muhammad Rizalman Ismail, who is accused of sexual assault and burglary in New Zealand, is set to be tried in Malaysia.
