Fed: We don't know who wrote fake email: Hockey
23 Jun 2009 11:53 PM
CANBERRA, June 23 AAP - The opposition has no insight into who authored the fake email at the centre of the OzCar affair, the coalition's treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says.
A hoax correspondence purporting to come from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's office was found at the home of senior treasury official Godwin Grech, the Australian Federal Police confirmed on Monday.
The opposition used information in this fake email late last week to allege that Mr Rudd was arranging to give Queensland car dealer John Grant special access to the government's $2 billion Oz Car financing scheme.
But Mr Hockey said on Tuesday he did not know who wrote the fake email.
"I can honestly tell you ... we have no greater insight into the source of the alleged email than anyone else," he told ABC Television.
Mr Grech worked for Mr Hockey as a department liaison officer when he was minister for financial services in the Howard government in 2001.
Liberal Party sources have told ABC Television Mr Grech had been supplying unofficial information to the coalition since the days of the Howard government.
But when asked how the opposition knew about the contents of the fake email last week, Mr Hockey said there was talk around Parliament House.
"Obviously there has been a lot of speculation," he said.
"There is obsession with one alleged email."
When asked if he believed the email may still be genuine, Mr Hockey replied: "I honestly do not know."
