Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The diplomatic staffer was working at the US Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand

A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after the embassy refused to waive his immunity during a police investigation.

The staffer was allegedly involved in an incident on 12 March, but police were unable to question him after the embassy declined their request.

New Zealand then asked the US to remove the man, who American officials confirmed had left on Saturday.

Police have refused to give further details of the allegations.

However, New Zealand Radio reported the man - who has not been named - had left the country with a broken nose and a black eye.

Police did say they were continuing to investigate the incident, which took place just outside Wellington.

All diplomatic staff working in New Zealand are immune from prosecution, thanks to the 1961 Vienna Convention.

However, New Zealand's foreign ministry said it makes it "clear with all diplomatic missions in New Zealand that it expects foreign diplomats to abide by New Zealand law, and to waive immunity... if there are allegations of serious crimes".

The US embassy in Wellington - which is without a permanent ambassador after President Barack Obama's appointee was recalled by Donald Trump's administration in January - said it did not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation.

It added: "We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel."</s>A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after Washington refused to waive diplomatic immunity so police investigating a serious crime could question him, officials said.

Details of the alleged crime have not been revealed but local media reported the diplomat left the South Pacific nation last week suffering a broken nose and black eye.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was "disappointed" at the US refusal to waive immunity and in response asked for the person's withdrawal from New Zealand.

"Officials in Wellington and our ambassador in Washington DC have clearly conveyed to the United States the expectation that foreign diplomats obey the law in New Zealand and are seen to face justice in New Zealand," he said in a statement released to AFP Monday.

Police said they were called to an incident in Lower Hutt, on Wellington's outskirts, in the early hours of March 12, which "involved an individual from the US embassy in Wellington".

By the time they arrived the person had left the scene and no arrests were made.

McCully said foreign affairs officials relayed a police request to waive immunity but their US counterparts refused.

Local media named the diplomat as Colin White and said he left Wellington with his wife and children.

TVNZ, which broke the story, reported that White was a technical attaché who had been working closely with New Zealand's intelligence service, the GCSB.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy said they were "communicating with New Zealand authorities" on the issue.

"As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation," she said in a statement.

"We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel."

McCully said the US had stated it always fully investigated all allegations involving its diplomatic staff.

Diplomatic immunity, formalised in the 1961 Vienna Convention, means foreign envoys are protected from local law enforcement in the country to which they are posted.

The most recent known case of it being invoked in New Zealand was in 2014, when Malaysian military attaché Mohammed Rizalman bin Ismail was accused of indecent assault.

It was eventually revoked and Rizalman was sentenced to nine months' home detention after being found guilty in a Wellington court.</s>New Zealand expelled a U.S. diplomat after the American embassy in Wellington refused to waive his immunity in relation to a police investigation of a potentially serious crime, New Zealand’s government said.

“Officials in Wellington and our Ambassador in Washington, D.C. have clearly conveyed to the United States the expectation that foreign diplomats obey the law in New Zealand and are seen to face justice in New Zealand,” Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said in a statement Monday.

Details of the alleged crime haven’t been revealed. Local media reports said the diplomat was a technical attaché who left the country last week with a broken nose and black eye after an altercation in Lower Hutt, a Wellington suburb. The man’s identity and alleged injuries couldn’t immediately be confirmed.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Wellington wouldn’t comment on the investigation, but said the mission is communicating with New Zealand authorities. “We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of U.S. Government personnel,” he said. McCully said the U.S. State Department had assured the government that all the allegations made against the diplomat would be fully investigated.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com

New York AG steps up scrutiny of White House</s>New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English says it is regretable that the US didn't waive immunity so police investigating a serious crime could question a diplomat (AFP Photo/MARTY MELVILLE)

A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after Washington refused to waive diplomatic immunity so police investigating a serious crime could question him, officials said Monday.

Details of the alleged crime have not been revealed but local media reported the diplomat left the South Pacific nation last week suffering a broken nose and black eye.

Prime Minister Bill English labelled the US knockback on immunity regrettable and said he expected American authorities to carry out their own investigation.

"We expect all diplomats here to obey our law and if it's broken we'd expect our police to investigate," English told reporters.

"We regret that they didn't give us a waiver on immunity but they didn't and now it's in the hands of their authorities."

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was "disappointed" at the US refusal and in response had asked for the man at the centre of the police investigation to be withdrawn from New Zealand.

He said Wellington's ambassador in Washington had raised the issue with US officials.

Police said they were called to an incident in Lower Hutt, on Wellington's outskirts, in the early hours of March 12, which "involved an individual from the US embassy in Wellington".

By the time they arrived the person had left the scene and no arrests were made.

Attempts to further investigate hit a diplomatic brick wall, however police said they still regarded the case as active.

McCully said foreign affairs officials relayed a police request to waive immunity but their US counterparts refused.

Local media named the diplomat as Colin White and said he left Wellington with his wife and children.

TVNZ, which broke the story, reported that White was a technical attache who had been working closely with New Zealand's intelligence service, the GCSB.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy said they were "communicating with New Zealand authorities" on the issue.

"As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation," she said in a statement.

"We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel."

McCully said the US had stated it always fully investigated all allegations involving its diplomatic staff.

Diplomatic immunity, formalised in the 1961 Vienna Convention, means foreign envoys are protected from local law enforcement in the country to which they are posted.

The most recent known case of it being invoked in New Zealand was in 2014, when Malaysian military attache Mohammed Rizalman bin Ismail was accused of indecent assault.

It was eventually revoked and Rizalman was sentenced to nine months' home detention after being found guilty in a Wellington court.</s>iStock/Thinkstock(WELLINGTON, New Zealand) — A United States diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand. This after the embassy refused to waive his immunity during a police investigation.

The staffer was allegedly involved in an incident on March 12. Police were unable to question him after the embassy decline their request, and have refused to give further details of the allegations.

New Zealand asked the US to remove the man, and American officials confirmed he left Saturday. Police are continuing to investigate the incident that took place just out side of Wellington, where the United States embassy is located.

The embassy did not comment on the specifics of the investigation, but did say in a statement “We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel.”</s>WELLINGTON: A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after Washington refused to waive diplomatic immunity so that New Zealand police investigating a serious crime could question him, officials said yesterday.

Details of the alleged crime were not revealed, but local media reported that the diplomat left the South Pacific nation last week suffering a broken nose and black eye.

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English labelled the US knockback on immunity regrettable and said he expects American authorities to carry out their own investigation.

"We expect all diplomats here to obey our law and if it's broken, we'd expect our police to investigate," Mr English said. "We regret that they didn't give us a waiver on immunity, but they didn't and now it's in the hands of their authorities."

Earlier, New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was "disappointed" at the US refusal.

In response, he had asked for the man at the centre of the police investigation to be withdrawn from the country.

He said Wellington's ambassador in Washington had raised the issue with US officials.

Police said they were called to an incident in Lower Hutt, on Wellington's outskirts, in the early hours of March 12, which "involved an individual from the US embassy in Wellington".

By the time they arrived, the person had left the scene and no arrests were made.

However, police said they still regard the case as active.

Local media named the man as diplomat Colin White and said he left Wellington with his wife and children.

A spokesman for the US embassy said they were "communicating with New Zealand authorities" on the issue.</s>A US diplomat has been forced to leave New Zealand over allegations he was involved in a serious criminal incident in which he had his nose broken and sustained a black eye.

New Zealand police said they were called in the early hours of last Sunday in the community of Lower Hutt, just outside Wellington, where the US embassy is based.

Police said the US diplomat left the scene before officers arrived, and no arrests were made, nor “any person held in police custody”.

The man was protected by diplomatic immunity, which the New Zealand police asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to waive on 13 March so they could proceed with an investigation.

The ministry agreed to the request because the alleged crime was serious, meaning one which carries a penalty of imprisonment of one year of more.

The ministry appealed to the US embassy to waive the man’s immunity on the same day, but the US government refused, and on Friday MFAT officials requested the diplomat leave New Zealand immediately. It is understood the diplomat has since left the country, although New Zealand police said the investigation was “active”.

According to MFAT, foreign diplomats in New Zealand have immunity from any criminal processes, including investigations and prosecutions. However, the New Zealand government makes it clear foreign diplomatic staff must abide by the law and “waive immunity should MFAT request it if there are allegations of serious crimes”.

TVNZ reported the US diplomat at the centre of the incident was Colin White, a technical attache who works at the US embassy in Wellington alongside his wife. TVNZ reported White had received a broken nose and a black eye during the mysterious incident.

It is believed White was involved in working alongside New Zealand’s spy agency the GCSB, TVNZ reported, although this could not be confirmed.

In a statement, the US embassy said it could not comment specifically on matters under investigation. “We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel.”

In a high-profile case in 2014, Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail was forced to return to New Zealand to face criminal charges after he was accused of indecently assaulting a young woman in Wellington and defecating outside her front door.

Ismail was convicted of indecent assault last year and sentenced to nine months home detention, which he served in New Zealand.</s>A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after the embassy refused to waive his immunity during a police inquiry, a media report said on Monday. The diplomat was allegedly involved in an incident on March 12, but police were unable to question him after the embassy declined their request, the BBC said in the report. New Zealand authorities then asked the US to remove the man, who American officials confirmed left on Saturday.

Police were continuing to investigate the incident, which took place just outside capital Wellington. The US embassy in Wellington – which is without a permanent ambassador after former President Barack Obama’s appointee was recalled in January – said it did not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation. “We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel,” it added.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>A US diplomat has been forced to leave New Zealand over allegations he was involved in a serious criminal incident in which he had his nose broken and sustained a black eye.New Zealand police said they were called in the early hours of last Sunday in the community of Lower Hutt, just outside Wellington, where the US embassy is based. Police said the US diplomat left the scene before officers arrived, and no arrests were made, nor “any person held in police custody”. The man was protected by diplomatic immunity, which the New Zealand police asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to waive on 13 March so they could proceed with an investigation. (The guardian)…[+]</s>New Zealand on Monday expelled an attaché at the U.S. Embassy after Washington declined to waive his right to diplomatic immunity after an “incident” which gave him a broken nose and a black eye, media and authorities said.

New Zealand police said they responded to the incident near the capital Wellington on March 12 involving an employee of the U.S. Embassy.

They did not say what work the employee did or give any other details.

The New Zealand Herald at the weekend identified the man as an embassy attache and said he had left the country with a broken nose and black eye.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy said it was in touch with New Zealand authorities.

“We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of U.S. government personnel,” the spokeswoman said.
New Zealand expels an unnamed United States diplomat after the embassy refused to waive his immunity during a police investigation.