The accountant eventually paid back most of the funds. Photo: nito500/123RF
An Auckland accountant has been sentenced to eight months' home detention for attempting to defraud the Covid-19 wage subsidy of more than $68,000.
Brett William Knock admitted 10 charges of dishonestly taking or using a document and appeared for sentencing at for sentencing in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday.
According to the court summary of facts, Knock submitted 12 fraudulent wage subsidy applications between March and May 2020. Eight were successful, paying $40,629.60, and four were unsuccessful.
Nine of the applications were made on behalf of companies in which Knock had, or claimed to have, an interest. The other three were for companies controlled by others.
All 12 listed him as the contact person and gave the same bank account. None of the directors of the companies received any funds from him.
The accountant eventually paid back most of the funds.
When interviewed by the Ministry of Social Development Knock said he had obtained verbal instructions from his clients to apply for wage subsidies on their behalf, although he admitted he did not check whether his clients were eligible before applying.
In a statement the ministry said 39 people brought before the courts to date for wage subsidy misuse, as part of its ongoing work aimed at making sure those who received the payments were entitled to them.