The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) case had its first mention at Auckland District Court this morning before Judge Brooke Gibson.
A consultant from Auckland is accused of intentionally deceiving a health board by failing to disclose a conflict of interest.
Bribes alleged
According to court documents, this matter involved payments of $106,556.99 from the health board to the consultant.
The consultant is also charged with fraudulently obtaining another $78,530.63 from the health board.
The alleged payments in the broader SFO case related to a wide variety of jobs and projects at some of Auckland’s most prominent sites.
The council-controlled organisation made payments to the consultant totalling $657,107.31, according to court documents.
Another defendant is an Auckland manager.
Court documents show he was accused of using his position to “embed” the consultant in a council-controlled organisation and facilitate the award of contracts to the consultant’s company.
All the men have been charged with corrupt use of official information.
One of them also faces 24 charges of bribery.
‘Embedded’ at health board
And one of the defendants is alleged to have embedded another man at Counties Manukau DHB in a fraud worth $85,370.25.
And more alleged frauds involved $106,556.99, $78,530.63, $4025, and $34,270.
Another man charged is an Auckland builder.
He is alleged to have conspired with the two others to corruptly use information relating to a contract at a sports stadium.
Some of the allegations relate to Serious Fraud Office claims the builder was given assistance to draft and compile a tender submission.
The builder is also charged with giving a $2000 bribe to an official who worked for a council-controlled organisation.
Court documents for that part of the case showed the SFO alleged 23 bribes totalling $30,000 were involved.
The allegedly corrupt or problematic payments were made over several years.
The case will be before the court again in mid-February.
