CAIRO: New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully is facing charges of misleading the government in regards to exporting sheep to Saudi Arabia, after it was revealed that a prominent Saudi businessman intended to sue the New Zealand government for its decision to stop exporting live sheep to the Kingdom, which incurred the businessman heavy losses, according to a report from the News Hub website.
The website said the story was revealed by an investigative report for the National channel. The channel had documents from 2013 showing that McCully claimed that the government could face a lawsuit by a Saudi businessman, Hamoud Al-Khalaf, for compensation estimated at $30 million, if the government did not resume exporting live sheep to Saudi Arabia. These allegations were rejected by the Saudi businessman and his right-hand man George Assaf.
The minister also told a parliamentary committee in 2015 that the Khalaf Group received legal consultations that could help them in their legal claim and hence the compensation of an estimated $30 million.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Kay said the documents presented to him stipulated this matter and offered advice to the government to resume exporting sheep to the Kingdom and the government took that advice.
The new occurrence in the story came from the commercial partner of the Khalaf Group, George Assaf, who said the company has no intention of suing the government and hasn’t done anything in this respect. “We might have received legal counsel, but we had no intention of suing the government,” he added.
The opposition criticized the government for not revealing the documents related to the expenditure of $11 million on a farm to breed sheep in Saudi Arabia for the interest of the Saudi businessman.
According to information, the Saudi investor intended to sue the New Zealand government, but the Prime Minister approved the setting up of a farm in Saudi Arabia for two purposes, the first to compensate the Saudi businessman and the second is to set up a place for Zealand products in the Gulf region, especially since the government is trying to sign a free trade agreement with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
The website said the story was revealed by an investigative report for the National channel. The channel had documents from 2013 showing that McCully claimed that the government could face a lawsuit by a Saudi businessman, Hamoud Al-Khalaf, for compensation estimated at $30 million, if the government did not resume exporting live sheep to Saudi Arabia. These allegations were rejected by the Saudi businessman and his right-hand man George Assaf.
The minister also told a parliamentary committee in 2015 that the Khalaf Group received legal consultations that could help them in their legal claim and hence the compensation of an estimated $30 million.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Kay said the documents presented to him stipulated this matter and offered advice to the government to resume exporting sheep to the Kingdom and the government took that advice.
The new occurrence in the story came from the commercial partner of the Khalaf Group, George Assaf, who said the company has no intention of suing the government and hasn’t done anything in this respect. “We might have received legal counsel, but we had no intention of suing the government,” he added.
The opposition criticized the government for not revealing the documents related to the expenditure of $11 million on a farm to breed sheep in Saudi Arabia for the interest of the Saudi businessman.
According to information, the Saudi investor intended to sue the New Zealand government, but the Prime Minister approved the setting up of a farm in Saudi Arabia for two purposes, the first to compensate the Saudi businessman and the second is to set up a place for Zealand products in the Gulf region, especially since the government is trying to sign a free trade agreement with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
