11 September 2006

Ngapuhi faces 9/11 Serious Fraud Office Bombshell

After months of private investigations, involving a solicitor and a forensic accountant, Ngapuhi leader David Rankin has today lodged a formal complaint with the Serious Fraud Office over the financial management of the Ngapuhi Runanga.

‘It was a painful decision, but a necessary one’, says Mr Rankin. ‘We discovered money disappearing with no explanation, and when our questions were met with a wall of silence by the Runanga, we felt we had no choice’.

So far, he has provided evidence to the SFO on financial irregularities totalling over a million dollars. In one example, the Runanga allegedly paid $209,000 for what it called a ‘constitutional review’, including $150,000 for ‘project management’. However, the Runanga refuses to name anyone involved in the review, to show what work was done, or who received the $150,000 for managing the project.

‘Sadly, this is the tip of the iceberg’, says Mr. Rankin. ‘Even last week, I received information relating to $248,000 that some Runanga members seem to have paid to themselves for ‘consultations’. We are in desperate need of transparency and integrity, but so far, we are still waiting for this’.

Mr. Rankin expects a response from the SFO with the next ten days.

ENDS

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