Winston Peters' case against top civil servants has been labelled "scandalous and improper" by none other than a lawyer acting for the Crown.
The Deputy Prime Minister is suing a host of figures over an alleged privacy breach; among them, the State Services Commissioner and the former head of the Ministry of Social Development.
Their lawyer Victoria Casey has begun mounting a defence at the High Court in Auckland and will continue today.
RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch has been following the case.
