Hart fighting to retain property ownership

Embattled defence lawyer Barry Hart is fighting to retain ownership of the last of his 10 properties in court today.

ANZ Bank is attempting to regain a $30 million loan from Hart, and has sold all but one of his properties to do so.

The bank is today seeking an order in the High Court at Auckland for Mr Hart to vacate the last property so it can be sold.

Hart, who has been struck off as a lawyer after being found to have overcharged his clients, will represent himself at the hearing.

He is yet to make submissions but alleges the bank has not followed due process in conducting mortgagee sales of the properties.

ANZ lawyer Laura O'Gorman told the court this was not the case and the bank had made every attempt to get the best possible price for the properties.

"The bank has every reason to maximise the proceeds of sale for these properties," she said.

Mr Hart had not allowed property valuers to access the properties, and they'd had to make their assessments from the roadside and with aerial photographs, she said.

He had initially asked if he could sell the properties privately and give the proceeds to the bank to avoid mortgagee sales, but he missed the deadline.

He had asked the bank allow this "long maturing process to be given the chance to finally bloom", Ms O'Gorman said.

The bank was not willing to wait any longer.

Photo: NZ Herald