The Serious Fraud Office has laid charges after an investigation into donations made to the Labour Party in 2017.<\/p>\n
The agency filed criminal charges yesterday against six people in relation to a donation made to the Labour Party.<\/p>\n
“The defendants are entitled to seek name suppression therefore the SFO will not be naming any defendants until any name suppression issues have been resolved,” the SFO said.<\/p>\n
“We note, however, that none of the defendants are sitting MPs or are current or former officials of the Labour Party.”<\/p>\n
When the SFO announced its investigation in July last year, Labour Party president Claire Szabo said: “We have not been advised of the specifics of the inquiry, however the Labour Party will fully cooperate with any SFO investigations.”<\/p>\n
The then minister responsible for the SFO, Stuart Nash, also said he was blindsided by the agency’s announcement.<\/p>\n
“I had no indication whatsoever that anyone was looking to investigate us, so I don’t know who has lodged a complaint with us but, you know, time will tell,” he said.<\/p>\n
The financial crimes department has remained tight-lipped over the details of its investigation.<\/p>\n
Another SFO prosecution, involving donations to the National Party, is due to go to trial in September.<\/p>\n
Former MP Jami-Lee Ross and a trio of businessmen were charged in January last year with obtaining by deception. They have all formally denied the allegations over donations of $100,000 in 2017 and $100,050 in 2018.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, two people charged by the SFO over allegations of improper political donations involving the New Zealand First Foundation continue to enjoy interim name suppression.<\/p>\n
A hearing to determine whether their identity will be made public will be held in June, while a trial has been scheduled for next year for the pair accused of obtaining by deception.<\/p>\n
In December last year, Judge Deidre Orchard in the North Shore District Court initially dismissed an application for continued suppression but this was appealed by the first defendant.<\/p>\n
Suppression has been opposed by the SFO and a consortium of media organisations, including the Herald’s publisher NZME, which unsuccessfully attempted to name the pair before last year’s election.<\/p>\n
The NZ First Party also attempted to stop the charges becoming public until after a government was formed.<\/p>\n
NZ First leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has distanced himself from the foundation and has denied any wrongdoing after it first came under scrutiny in November 2019.<\/p>\n
After the charges became public, Peters also claimed at a press conference he and the party had been “exonerated”.<\/p>\n
Just last month, police also referred an inquiry over donations to the M\u0101ori Party to the SFO for further investigation.<\/p>\n
The Electoral Commission had previously referred the matter of party donations totalling $320,000 to the police.<\/p>\n
An SFO investigation into Auckland Mayor Phil Goff’s election expenses is still ongoing, while a probe into his former Labour Party colleague and Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel was closed in December with the SFO declaring there was no evidence of any criminal conduct.<\/p>\n
Both matters were referred to the SFO by police.<\/p>\n