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David Campbell, vice-president of the Law Society, confirmed in a statement that Barton had taken leave.
“Mr Barton highly values the work and role of the Law Society and would not wish to be distracted by the continued public attention paid to his previous management role at the Otago Presbyterian Support Centre.”
He said that in the interim, the president’s duties would be delegated to other board members.
Patton told The Herald His advice to Bremner was “informal advice”.
“Any suggestion that I advised the then CEO to destroy documents in 2017/2018 is false. As the report demonstrates, I was asked by the then CEO to provide informal advice during my time as a board member and it was in that capacity that I gave that advice,” he said.
“I said the Otago Presbyterian Support Centre must provide survivors’ records to their legal representatives and that the documents can only be destroyed at ‘appropriate milestones or anniversaries’.”
Earlier Friday, Attorney General Judith Collins reminded state and religious institutions of their legal obligations to preserve relevant records.
She said in a statement that destroying records could have serious consequences.
“Anyone who destroys documents because they believe they may be used as evidence in a crime may be committing a criminal offence and may be liable to prosecution,” she said.
“These laws are there to protect the most vulnerable in our society and I want to thank the many organisations for treating this information with the respect it deserves.
“Those who do not know or have not yet known should be aware of their obligations and possible consequences.”
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