The Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) has written to the Green Party confirming that it will investigate its complaint about police actions that led to unlawful search of journalist Nicky Hager’s home.
The Green Party received a letter this afternoon from the IPCA confirming that it will investigate, after the party wrote to the authority on Monday. A High Court judge last week found that the police warrant and search on Mr Hager’s home, which followed the publication of his book Dirty Politics, were unlawful.
“We welcome the IPCA’s prompt decision to investigate the decisions that led to the police warrant and unlawful search of Mr Hager’s home,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.
“There are many unanswered questions from the Dirty Politics scandal, and why the police made the decision to search Mr Hager’s home is one them.
“Given that the warrant and search on Mr Hager’s house has been ruled unlawful, I asked IPCA to investigate the decisions of senior-ranked police officials involved in applying for the warrant.
“It’s important to remember that Nicky Hager’s work uncovering the dirty politics regime run out of the Prime Minister's office was the reason for the search.
“The Prime Minister has never properly addressed those allegations, other than to attack Mr Hager’s integrity.
“However the Inspector General of Intelligence did investigate one of Hager’s claims and confirmed the Prime Minister’s staff had handed confidential information provided by the Security intelligence Service to the attack blogger Cameron Slater,” Mrs Turei said.