Solictor Trust Funds

NewstalkZB has an item on how $62,000 was donated to the National Party from a Bell Gully Trust account in 2005, linking it to their criticism of the Electoral Finance Bill.  this was noted by Tane in comments, which shows journalists read the comments also.

However it is a pity that they don't realise how solicitor trust accounts work, and how ridiculous linking it to their criticism is.

Lawyers get  basically no say on how funds are spent from a trust fund.  They are merely a vehicle for their clients and the lawyer's job is to execute the wishes of their client.  If you say Lawyer B, here is a cheque for $25,000, please put it in your trust find and pay it to Party A, they do so without question.  It is their job.  They get no say in who it goes to – could be Labour, National or greens etc.

So linking their criticism of the EFB to their trust account activity is ridiculous.  It is like attacking the vews of say the BNZ Chief Economist because someone went into a BNZ branch and asked for a bank cheque to be made out to a political party.