Woman pursued by disgraced New Zealand legislator named

Jun 10, 2009, 8:31 GMT

   Wellington - A mother of two alleged to have been hounded with 'sleazy' text messages and phone calls from a disgraced New Zealand government minister was named in news reports Wednesday as Neelam Choudary.

   Richard Worth, a former lawyer who has been a member of parliament for 10 years, resigned as minister of internal affairs last week after Prime Minister John Key told him to go or be sacked.

   Worth, who is married with an adult daughter, is the subject of complaints by two women - Choudary, who is a prominent member of the opposition Labour Party, and an unnamed Korean businesswoman who has alleged an unwanted sexual encounter with him that is being investigated by police.

   Worth denied committing any offence in a statement issued by a public relations company and has been granted leave from parliament.

   Key said this week he did not want Worth back in his government and made it clear he would like him to resign from the House of Representatives regardless of the outcome of the police investigation.

   Choudary has written a letter to Key outlining some of the 40 text messages and 60 phone calls - some 'vulgar, sexually explicit and I believe were made when he was drunk' - she said Worth made to her between November and February.

   'On one occasion he asked me if I prayed for something to happen to my husband so we could be together,' she wrote in a letter tabled in Parliament last week.

   Choudary said that Worth had offered her two jobs but she 'repeatedly made it clear to him that I didn't want a relationship with him.'

   Appealing for her privacy to be respected, Labour Party leader Phil Goff said on Wednesday, 'She has done nothing wrong. She has quite rightfully brought to my attention and to John Key's attention that job offers were being made which appear to have been made to further a sexual and romantic relationship.'