Paul Bublitz, one of the defendants in the case. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
Paul Bublitz, one of the defendants in the case. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
Five men facing theft charges and who are allegedly associated with two collapsed finance companies have pleaded not guilty.
The Financial Markets Authority has filed Crimes Act and Companies Act charges against men allegedly associated with two failed firms, Viaduct Capital and Mutual Finance.
The companies went into receivership in2010. At the time of receivership, Viaduct owed $7.8 million to investors and Mutual owed $9.3 million.
The FMA announced in March that Paul Bublitz, Bruce McKay and Richard Blackwood - associated with Viaduct and Mutual - had been charged with theft by a person in a special relationship, making false statements in a prospectus and making false statements to a trustee.
The market regulator has also charged Lance Morrison and thrice bankrupted property developer Peter Chevin - both said to be associated with Mutual only - with theft by a person in a special relationship and making false statements in a prospectus.
The quintet's case was called yesterday in the Auckland District Court before a registrar, who informed the Herald that all five defendants had pleaded not guilty.
The matter is now due to come back before the court in December.
