There's no simple answer to the question. The government is very complicated, and one of the jobs of officials is to help ministers find ways of getting the business of government done.
That said, you obviously should be doing it within what is permitted by law, what is good governance, and so forth. I would not fault officials for casting about to see whether there's some way of getting around a roadblock. Then it's a matter of judgment whether the way this is used is proper or not.
I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the case Mr. Williams refers to.