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SFO investigation into National involves two donations of $100k

Author
Newstalk ZB, NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Tue, 18 Feb 2020, 2:46PM
The investigation stemmed from a complaint Jami-Lee Ross made, alleging Simon Bridges was involved. (Photo / File)
The investigation stemmed from a complaint Jami-Lee Ross made, alleging Simon Bridges was involved. (Photo / File)

SFO investigation into National involves two donations of $100k

Author
Newstalk ZB, NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Tue, 18 Feb 2020, 2:46PM

Charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office against four people allege the use of a "fraudulent device, trick, or stratagem" to split up two $100,000 donations to the National Party.

Four men, whose names are suppressed, will appear in the Auckland District Court next week after being charged last month over allegations relating to donations paid into a National Party electorate bank account.

Newstalk ZB understands an application's been lodged in the court to lift name suppression for four defendants. 

Court documents outlining some of the particulars of the charges were released to the media this week by Judge Eddie Paul.

The court papers allege two donations of $100,000 in 2017 and $100,050 in 2018 were made "in circumstances where the identity of the donor was not disclosed in the National Party's Annual Return of Party Donations".

"The defendants adopted a fraudulent device, trick, or stratagem whereby the 2018 donation was split into sums of money less than $15,000, and transferred into the bank accounts of eight people, before being paid to, and retained by, the National Party," the documents read.

The same allegation is made by the SFO for the 2017 donation.

The fourth man is charged alongside the other three over the 2018 donation, while also being accused of supplying false information to the SFO.

The maximum sentence of the donation charges is seven years' imprisonment.

The charges have resulted from a complaint laid with the police by former National MP Jamie Lee Ross - who's now an independent MP.

Ross claimed Simon Bridges was involved in disguising the donation, but the defendants are not from the National party.

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