Sir Ngatata Love's lawyer Colin Carruthers QC says the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) theory against his client is wrong, with a key agreement placing no financial cost on the Wellington Tenths Trust. The former leading Treaty of Waitangi negotiator and academic is on trial in the High Court at Wellington, accused of obtaining funds by deception, or alternatively of obtaining a secret commission.The charges relate to allegations that Love showed favour to Auckland property developer Redwood, and ...

The murderer who embarrassed New Zealand law and border authorities by flying to Brazil while on temporary release from prison has been convicted for the audacious escape. Charges of escaping lawful custody and making a false statement to renew a passport have been added to Phillip John Smith's lengthy criminal record, along with murder, child sex abuse, kidnapping, tax fraud and arson. In an unusual legal procedure, a jury was chosen at the Auckland District Court today and the judge immedia...

Charges against a "catch me if you can" New Zealander who has vanished after allegedly embezzling more than $11 million from his former American employers will be heard in the High Court here.New Zealand citizen Jason Dean faces civil claims, by Californian marketing materials maker Americhip, of skimming contracts for nearly a decade.

Americhip has also claimed that Dean, who was responsible for a large part of its business in China from 2003-12, used this money to buy a $2m mansion...

A former high-ranking New Zealand cop has avoided arrest from the comfort of his home in Australia as pensioners are kicked out of retirement units owned by his failed company. Former police inspector Gary William Campbell faces three active charges brought under the Retirement Villages Act 2003 regarding various failures in relation to a Christchurch retirement village his company owned. The company owes millions of dollars and according to the Companies Office is no longer trading. Campbel...

An Auckland couple have been charged with one of the biggest internal frauds in Work and Income history after allegedly stealing $210,000 of taxpayer...

Former Belgrave Finance director Shane Joseph Buckley has been jailed for three years on a variety of charges including theft and making false statements. Buckley, 44, who was sentenced in the Auckland District Court today, pleaded guilty in May to 19 charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of theft by a person in a special relationship, and four charges of making false statements under the Crimes Act. He also admitted one Securities Act charge of making an untrue statement ...

Irish private investigators have been in New Zealand chasing €455 million (NZ$700 million) that Ireland's once-richest man is reputed to have hidden in the South Pacific. Irish courts have found tycoon Sean Quinn, his son Sean Junior and nephew Peter conspired to put €455 million out of reach, rather than repay the now nationalised Anglo Irish Bank. The bank had to be propped up in when the Irish economy collapsed in 2008. Quinn owed €2.8 billion on property investments but got a large c...

Belgrave Finance director Shane Joseph Buckley has pleaded guilty to theft charges related to $18 million of loans made by the now-collapsed finance company.In...