Richard Worth

Wellington, June 11 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key has sent Richard Worth a strong message to resign, saying he was washing his hands of him.

Dr Worth was asked to resign as a minister last week after it emerged that he was under police investigation over allegations of a sexual nature involving a Korean business woman.

Dr Worth took two weeks' leave from Parliament, and it was unclear whether he would return.

Mr Key said he had not asked Dr Worth to resign and did not know whether he would return to Parliament on Tuesday as scheduled.

"I said he should consider his own future," Mr Key told reporters.

"I also think he should front up and quite frankly if he's going to come back to Parliament he's going to have to do that."

It was difficult, though not impossible, to expel a member from National caucus, he said.

"He can read into it what he wants but all I can say is I've washed my hands of him."

Mr Key said it was not singularly up to him to decide whether Dr Worth should be expelled.

"Frankly I've dealt with the issue of Richard Worth, I think I've acted fairly and swiftly, but for me I think it's time to move on.

"At the end of the day I've got a country to run."

Even if expelled from the National caucus Dr Worth could remain in Parliament as an independent MP.

Detective Inspector Paul Basham, head of Wellington CIB and in charge of the criminal investigation, today said although police had been in contact with Dr Worth he was yet to be interviewed.

The complaint was made in Auckland last month and inquiries were continuing in Auckland and Wellington, Mr Basham said in a statement.

A second allegation against Dr Worth has turned into an argument between Mr Key and Labour leader Phil Goff.

Mr Goff rang Mr Key on May 6 to tell him that a female party member had come to him after getting offensive calls and texts from Dr Worth.

The woman involved, believed to be Neelam Choudary, alleged that between November and February, Dr Worth sent dozens of text messages, some sexually explicit, and called her numerous times.

In a public statement she also said Dr Worth offered her jobs in his ministerial capacity.

Media were today reporting that Mrs Choudary's husband, Kumar Akkineni Choudary, was convicted in December for his role in an immigration fraud scam.

Mr Key said today he had received a letter from the complaint and had been asked not to discuss its content.

He has not seen a hard copy of the texts.

"I don't think I'm in a position to discuss that at this time.

"I think Phil Goff needs to asses his own performance here he's, from what I can see, half wallowing around in the gutter here."

The two leaders have differing recollections of the initial phone call, in which Mr Goff told Mr Key there was a problem.

Mr Key said he didn't get off a plane until after 10pm. Mr Goff released Parliamentary Services phone records showing the call was placed at 9.49pm and lasted 8.5 minutes.

Mr Goff said Mr Key's memory had been proven faulty and called into doubt the accuracy of his recollection of the call.

Mr Key said he did not "always think his (Goff's) recollection of events is always accurate".