5 Oct 2011

Jailed former NZ associate minister Taito Phillip Field paroled

5:41 pm on 5 October 2011

The first New Zealand MP ever jailed for corruption is to be freed on parole from prison.

Taito Phillip Field, who is of Samoan descent, was also a former New Zealand associate minister for Pacific Island Affairs.

Field was sentenced to six years in prison in 2009, after being found guilty of 11 charges of bribery and corruption and 15 of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The charges were laid after he had work done by Thai people he helped with immigration matters.

He then tried to cover that up during an official inquiry.

Following Field's first parole hearing today, the Parole Board has decided he can be safely released from prison in the middle of this month.