What we do
The Serious Fraud Office is the lead law enforcement agency for investigating and prosecuting serious or complex fraud, including bribery and corruption.
Our work also includes the investigation and prosecution of instances of corruption and bribery, which make up an increasing volume of our investigations and prosecutions. The SFO investigation teams comprise investigating lawyers, forensic accountants, investigators, electronic forensic investigators and document management specialists. This team structure is based on the ‘Roskill Model used by the UK Serious Fraud Office and is considered international best practice for the type of complex investigations we undertake. The SFO has developed strong technical competence relating to forensic accounting, electronic forensics, financial investigations and prosecutions.
We focus on a relatively small number of cases that have a disproportionally high impact on the economy and the financial wellbeing of New Zealanders. We generally have about 30-40 investigations and prosecutions open at any one time. In the case of bribery or corruption, we investigate crimes that could undermine confidence in the public sector or are of significant public interest. Cases are prioritised using a range of criteria including the scale and complexity of the crime, and its impact on victims.
We also play a role in preventing financial crime, including corruption. To read more about this please click here.