21 December 2010
Two former directors of Five Star Consumer Finance Limited, were today sentenced to prison terms. The sentences related to charges under the Crimes Act brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Nicholas Kirk was sentenced to two years and eight months, and Marcus McDonald to two years and three months.
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10 December 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced that they had commenced an investigation into the affairs of Gisborne finance company, Rockforte Finance Limited.
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09 December 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today laid 87 charges under the Crimes Act against Michael John Bradley and Jacqueline Lyndsay Bradley, the co-directors of B’On Financial Services Ltd (B’On), for what is alleged to be the defrauding of approximately 85 investors of over $15M.
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09 December 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today arrested and laid six charges under the Crimes Act against one current and one former Director of Capital+ Merchant Finance Limited (C+MF).
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03 December 2010
Alan Edwards Wycherley was sentenced in the Wellington District Court on 2 December 2010 to three years imprisonment and ordered to pay $30,000. The sentence resulted from a conviction on one charge of conspiracy to use documents to defraud laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
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02 December 2010
Ian Victor Petersen, a 61 year old man from Waikanae, pleaded guilty today in the Porirua District Court to 13 counts of theft by a person required to account, 19 counts of theft by person in special relationship, one count of using a document with intent to defraud and one count of dishonestly using a document, laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
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29 November 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today confirmed that it had been conducting an investigation into the affairs of Hanover Finance Limited for the past 3 months.
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29 November 2010
Keith Lapham was today sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment following his guilty plea in respect of three charges of obtaining by deception brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
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26 November 2010
The Serious Fraud Office today announced that there insufficient evidence to lay charges against the Vending Technologies Limited (VTL) Group directors or management, and had closed the investigation.
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26 November 2010
A second Five Star Finance defendant has plead guilty to charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Nicholas George Kirk, a former director of Five Star Consumer Finance Limited (Five Star) today pleaded guilty to charges of theft by a person in a special relationship, which related to misuse of Five Star funds in breach of its Trust Deed requirements.
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26 November 2010
John Gray, the former Accountant for National Finance 2000 Limited (National Finance) was today sentenced to a term of 18 months imprisonment. Mr Gray has indicated that he will appeal the decision not to grant him home detention in relation to his sentence, and remains on bail pending determination of that matter.
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23 November 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced that it had laid eight charges against Malcolm David Mason and another individual (whose name is suppressed), relating to a series of corrupt property transaction involving the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
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22 November 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced today that it had laid over 300 charges against Hemant Kumar Maharaj, 57, and Suresh Din, 56, both of Auckland. The SFO allege that Mr Maharaj, who worked for the North Shore City Council, and Mr Din, used 151 invoices in a dishonest scheme to obtain over $840,000 from the Council.
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11 November 2010
Raghu Srinivas Aryasomayajula, was today found guilty in the District Court at Auckland of two charges of Obtaining by Deception. The charges which were brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) concerned a series of mortgage frauds with a value of approximately $13M.
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09 November 2010
Peter Edward Hynes today pleaded guilty in the Christchurch District Court to 40 charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) totalling $1.6M.
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03 November 2010
On 21 October, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced that it was investigating land transactions involving Natural Dairy (NZ) Holdings Ltd (“Natural Dairy”).
The SFO has since seen a copy of an announcement purporting to be from Natural Dairy which states it:
“….is pleased to announce that its legal advisor in New Zealand has been informed by the director of Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) that the investigation mentioned in the Announcement does not relate to Natural Dairy.”
The SFO does not consider this statement fully and accurately reflects the true state of SFO’s investigation.
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28 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced that it had launched an investigation into a number of related party transactions undertaken by Dominion Finance Group Limited and North South Finance Limited prior to their collapse in 2008.
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28 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced it had completed its investigations into the Blue Chip group of companies and, while investigations were continuing in relation to one of its South Island franchises, it did not intend to lay charges against the Blue Chip group based on the available evidence.
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27 October 2010
Marcus Arthur MacDonald, a former director of Five Star Consumer Finance Limited (“Five Star”) has today pleaded guilty in the District Court in Auckland to charges of theft by a person in a special relationship, which related to misuse of Five Star funds in breach of its Trust Deed requirements.
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21 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced that it had opened an investigation into the affairs of the WSD group of companies, executing search warrants at WSD Group’s premises at 475 Mount Eden Road and a private residence in Glendowie earlier today.
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21 October 2010
Martyn Tewsley Scott, a 51 year old from Meadowbank, Auckland, today appeared in Auckland District Court and pleaded guilty to seven representative charges of accessing a computer for dishonest purpose, laid by the SFO in September this year.
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21 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today confirmed that, acting on information received from the Overseas Investment Office (OIO), it had commenced an investigation into transactions between Natural Dairy (NZ) Holdings Ltd (Natural Dairy) and UBNZ Trustee Ltd; UBNZ Assets Holdings Ltd; UBNZ Funds Management Ltd (the UBNZ group)
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19 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced that it had launched an investigation into South Canterbury Finance (SCF).
Chief Executive, Adam Feeley, said that as a result of inquiries made by its newly established Fraud Detection Unit, the SFO had grounds to suspect that a number of related party transactions involving SCF may have involved false statements or other fraudulent conduct.
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08 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today said it was pleased that John Gray, the former Accountant for National Finance 2000 Limited (“National Finance”) had pleaded guilty in the District Court in Auckland to theft by a person in a special relationship, which related to misuse of National Finance funds in breach of its Trust Deed requirements.
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01 October 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced this week that it had laid charges against Martyn Tewsley Scott, a 51 year old from Meadowbank, Auckland.
The SFO alleges that Mr Scott fraudulently obtained in excess of $1.4M during the six year period employed as the general manager of a family run security equipment supply business.
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25 August 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today arrested and laid over 100 charges under the Crimes Act against four individuals involved with the collapse of Five Star Finance Group.
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10 August 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today said it welcomed the sentence of 5 years 3 months imprisonment against Philip Whitley convicted last month of two counts of making a false statement as a promoter.
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30 July 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced this week that it had laid charges against Ian Victor Petersen, a 61 year old from Waikanae.
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22 July 2010
The Serious Fraud Office announced today that it has commenced an investigation into a Blue Chip franchise which operated in the South Island.
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22 June 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today confirmed that it had visited the offices of Aorangi Securities Limited (ASL) in Timaru in response to concerns raised by the Registrar of Companies, and to establish an immediate working relationship with the statutory managers appointed to manage its affairs, and those of Alan Hubbard and his wife.
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08 June 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced the appointment of four senior managers following the restructuring of the Office which commenced in March this year.
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19 May 2010
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today announced additional charges were being brought against Bridgecorp Managing Director, Rodney Petricevic, and Finance Director, Robert Roest.
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09 April 2010
A restructuring package announced today will help the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) position itself as the lead law enforcement agency for investigating and prosecuting serious and complex financial crime, Chief Executive Adam Feeley said.
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18 March 2010
The Serious Fraud Office has begun an investigation into Capital & Merchant Finance Limited following a referral from Grant Thornton, the receivers of companies within the Capital & Merchant Group.
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