Political figure named in former rich-lister's indecent assault case takes suppression battle to Supreme Court

A political figure will make one last legal leap, to the Supreme Court, in an effort to keep their identity secret after being mentioned during a businessman's high-profile sex and corruption trial last year.

Today, the country's top court confirmed the person has filed a notice of appeal. Their name suppression will remain until the final bid is determined.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decisions of two other judges and agreed the political identity's name should be published.

The now more than year-long courtroom arguments were sparked after Herald publisher NZME and fellow media company Stuff sought to revoke the suppression order first made in the district court in March 2019. It followed the political figure being mentioned several times during last year's trial of a prominent businessman.

The figure's lawyer, Davey Salmon QC, has said the allegations made against his client during the trial were "highly defamatory and indisputably false" and they had been dragged into an "awful conspiracy" to protect a sex offender.

When giving evidence at his High Court trial, the businessman told jurors it was the political figure's purported association with controversial PR consultant Jevan Goulter that attracted him to using the firm Goulter & Associates.

He said he needed PR expertise for impending reputational damage issues after hearing rumours Australian media were about to publish indecent assault allegations against him.

Goulter, however, was hired for what has become known as the Gold Coast plot, an elaborate attempt to dissuade one of the businessman's three victims from continuing with allegations in 2017.

The effort failed but the conspiracy continued and a further meeting was held at an Auckland bar between Goulter, his associate Allison Edmonds and the businessman's manager.

Their meeting was recorded by Edmonds and throughout the conversation, the political figure's name is mentioned. The recording remained hidden until it emerged halfway through the businessman's first trial in March 2019, resulting in it being aborted.

In a subsequent statement to police, Goulter said his comments about the political figure during the recording were untrue. He did, however, accept he talked to the political figure about his own name suppression affidavit and before the bar meeting sought and took advice from them.

Goulter and Edmonds were granted immunity from prosecution by the Solicitor-General in exchange for their evidence for the Crown.

The businessman, who also continues to have name suppression, was found guilty of indecently assaulting three men and twice trying to pervert the course of justice.

The former rich-lister was sentenced to two years and four months in prison, however, he was eventually granted bail pending the appeal of his convictions and sentence. The appeal is due to be heard this year.

The businessman's manager was found guilty of attempting to dissuade a victim during the Gold Coast plot and was sentenced to 12 months' home detention.

New Zealand entertainer Mika X, also known as Mika Haka, was also part of the conspiracy and after pleading guilty to twice attempting to stop the victim from giving evidence was sentenced to 11 months' home detention.