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Justice Minister Kiri Allan was taken into police custody after being involved in a car crash in Wellington, The Post understands.
Witnesses say the East Coast MP’s car struck a parked car on Evans Bay Parade in Roseneath on Sunday evening.
Earlier, a Post reporter at the scene said police were attendance, but there was no sign of Allan.
Police said in a statement they received a report of a crash involving two vehicles on Evans Bay Parade, Roseneath, shortly after 9pm. The road was blocked for a short time, but no injuries were reported.
One person was taken in to custody and was “assisting police with enquiries into the circumstances of the crash”, the statement said.
ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff
Kiri Allan returned to Parliament on Monday after taking time off following a tumultuous past few weeks. (File photo)
The prime minister’s office on Sunday evening repeatedly refused to answer questions about the incident or confirm if Allan had been involved or was in police custody.
The Post was told by the PM’s chief press secretary Andrew Campbell that he was still trying to establish the facts.
Allan returned to Parliament on Monday after taking leave during the school holidays, following a tumultuous past few weeks.
She earlier spent a week on mental health leave, in relation to her personal life. When she returned to work, she faced claims from a senior public servant that she had screamed and yelled at them.
On June 28, it was reported a staffer seconded to work with Allan chose to leave early because of concerns about “working relationships” in the office.
Tom Hunt/Stuff
A car parked on the side of the road on Evans Bay Parade was hit on Sunday night. (Number plate has been pixelated)
Department of Conservation chief executive Penny Nelson took her concerns to the Department of Internal Affairs, which manages Ministerial Services.
Stuff understands other senior public servants – including from Emergency Management, and the Ministry of Business, innovation and Employment – also voiced concerns about how staff were treated.
Allan “strongly refutes” those allegations.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Allan said: “Parliament has been described as a robust working environment, and we deliberately work to address any issues or concerns early.”
A statement from the prime minister’s office said at time there had been no formal complaints made by departmental or ministerial staff about Allan.
“Some issues have been raised about how to improve working relations in the Minister’s office. Work was done to improve the situation and no further issues were raised,” it said.
On June 28, Allan made an Instagram post that was immediately deleted, admitting challenging times with her mental health and rejecting the allegations about her.
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