New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has settled a defamation case brought by a journalist after acknowledging on Monday that comments he made about the man caused him professional and personal harm.
Key said in a statement that he now accepts that freelance cameraman Bradley Ambrose did not deliberately record a private conversation Key had with political ally John Banks days before 2011 national elections.
At a news conference on Monday, Key said that the amount of the settlement was confidential, but that it was less than the legal costs would amount to in a court case. Ambrose had been seeking NZ$1.25 million (US$846,000) in damages.
“It’s a pragmatic settlement in terms of reducing costs,” Key said.
Key won’t personally be out of pocket. He said the settlement money would come from either the taxpayer-funded parliamentary budget or the National Party, which he leads.
