New Zealand / Politics

Man pleads not guilty in NZ First Foundation case

18:25 pm on 28 October 2020

One of the people charged over the investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation has pleaded not guilty and will go to trial.

Entrance to the High Court in Auckland Photo: justice.govt.nz

The person is charged with obtaining by deception, as is the other who has not entered a plea.

The charges were brought by the Serious Fraud Office after an investigation into the foundation and its handling of donations.

They are accused of obtaining more than $700,000 between 2015 and 2020 then used to pay expenses of the New Zealand First party.

Media entities fought name suppression before the general election all the way through to the court to to the Court of Appeal, but lost.

Neither person can be identified but the SFO confirmed before the election they were not ministers, sitting MPs, candidates, staffers or current members of New Zealand First.