A judge has reserved his decision on whether ACT MP John Banks will face a defended hearing in May.
Photo: RNZ
Mr Banks has denied a charge of knowingly filing a false return to election authorities over his failed campaign for the Auckland supercity mayoralty in 2010.
The Crown says John Banks did not tell his mayoral campaign about donations from Kim Dotcom because he wanted them to be declared as anonymous.
At the Auckland High Court on Friday, prosecutor Paul Dacre, QC, told Justice Wylie that Mr Banks met with internet businessman Kim Dotcom during the campaign.
Mr Dacre said Mr Banks thanked Mr Dotcom for his donation, and Mr Banks later delegated the job of filing an electoral return to one of his staff members.
The return recorded Mr Dotcom's donations as anonymous, and Mr Banks signed it before it was sent to electoral authorities, the court was told.
However, Mr Banks' lawyer David Jones, QC, asked the court to throw the charge out, saying there is evidence his client did not fill out the return and could not have seen the pages containing reference to the anonymous donations when he signed it.
