Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says he briefed both former Police Minister Chris Hipkins and current Police Minister Mark Mitchell about allegations being made about Jevon McSkimming from a woman he had an affair with.
Mitchell said he stands by all his statements and that Coster's "recollections are wrong".
"If Mr Coster's focus is on relitigating matters, there are legal recourses available to him and if he truly believes what he is saying, nothing prevents him pursuing those."
Hipkins said he wasn't breifed on McSkimming's relationship with Ms Z during his time in government.
RNZ revealed on Wednesday Coster had resigned as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency after the Independent Police Conduct Authority's damning report into police's response to allegations of sexual offending by former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.
Coster has not responded to several interview requests from RNZ. In a statement on Wednesday he said his resignation was "a result of my acceptance of full responsibility for the shortcomings" identified in the IPCA's report.
In an interview with TVNZ's Q+A on Sunday, Coster said there were ministers who knew more than they admitted.
He said he briefed the then Minister of Police Chris Hipkins in 2022 as he felt it was important he knew what he knew.
He said he told Hipkins that McSkimming told him he had an affair with a "much younger woman" and that the relationship "soured badly" and she was now emailing "all sorts of people with allegations about him".
He said the briefing was in 2022 in the back of a car while the two men were travelling in the South Island.
He said he was unable to prove the conversation occurred.
"It's simply my account."
He said a big reflection for him was to take better notes, adding he wrongly assumed people would not "run for the hills".
He also disputed that Mitchell was not aware of the allegations bef
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