Labour MP Phillip Field is embroiled in fresh conflict of interest allegations after an Auckland family claimed he profited from the purchase of their house after they went to him for help. Simon Tupou Cole told One News his father, Sione, who has Parkinson's disease, approached Mr Field early last year after they struggled to meet mortgage payments. The financial crisis came after the cancer death of Sione Cole's wife, Fale, and they were threatened with a mortgagee sale. Simon Cole, 20, claimed Mr Field persuaded his father to sell the house in Church St, Otahuhu, to him for about $250,000, which he agreed to do without obtaining a valuation or advice from a lawyer. Mr Cole said there had been higher offers, but they sold it to Mr Field, MP for Mangere and a minister outside the Cabinet with portfolios including associate justice and associate Pacific Island affairs, as it seemed the best solution. According to One News, Mr Field bought the house 16 months ago, and recently sold it for $395,000. Last night, Mr Field strenuously denied any conflict of interest, and said he had acted to help a family in "considerable financial difficulty".
Source: The Dominion Post.